1. This won’t be a “blog” per se. It isn’t meant to be a place to post all commentary or opinions. Everyone is invited to send in a note, but don’t be offended if it isn’t posted. There’s other sites that are perfectly content to drag through what they believe to be wrong with every issue at every turn. This is about what was done, why and where do we go from here. We won’t talk about two and three year old issues. If the desire is to engage in those discussions then look somewhere else.

2. This isn’t the Board of Commissioner forum. MJ has a City Manager form of government. The Board makes policy; the staff implements. I’ll be happy to pass your comments along to the Board, either good or bad, but the intent of this medium is to address how we could better enact policy and improve city services.

3. The narratives will be directly from me, your city manager. I won’t hide under some pseudonym or other persona. My name is Randy Robertson. My phone number is 754-2552. I am your City Manager. If your issue or concerns involves another department of the city (Public Works, Police, Animal Control, etc.) I will invite the appropriate team member to provide some comments, but it will still be done under the auspices of the City Manager.

4. I will try and be as timely as possible, but this is another one of the “additional duties” for which civil service is renown.

5. The City Staff is here for you. The desired outcome is for us to have a positive relationship with the citizens we serve, but we all know that always won’t happen. Everyone has an opinion. It is the staff’s responsibility to work through the opinions and emotion, meet the requirements of the laws and rules under which we operate, and hopefully serve the greatest number in that process. It is not an exact science. The more we have a relationship with you, the better we can meet your expectations.

6. Finally, this is about telling our story. Hopefully you will be able to sort the myth from reality or see the issue through a different set of lens. I hope you will find this of value and participate.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Update: September 15, 2010

Greetings MJ on this cloudy Thursday:

Here’s a few items of interest and FYI’s from around the city:

We’re getting close to our largest park and recreation event of the year, our annual “Halloween in the Park (HIP).” HIP 2011 promises to be bigger and better than any in the past. On 8 October, the place to be is Charlie Daniels Park. For more info call 758-6522, or go to the Parks and Rec section of the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org).

Some good news this month, sales tax receipts for August were up about $27k over the same period in 2010. That’s a little more than a 5% gain, and much better than the dip we took in July. Thanks for Shopping MJ First. Speaking of Shopping MJ, have you noticed the new billboard on the west bound side of I-40 around the Mundy Park area. Special thanks to Decker signs and CPS land for their work on this and for waiving the normal rental cost of the board.

Remember, you can buy Music City Star tickets right here at City Hall. You can also get advanced game day Star express tickets for $15; $5 less than walk up purchases. The game day express will be pulling out of the MJ Station this Sunday for the Titan’s home opener against Baltimore’s Ravens.

The MJ Senior Citizens Center will be hosting a commemorative “Celebrate MJ Walk” on Saturday, 29 October. The walk, which is a recognition of the soon to complete North MJ Road (NMJR) widening project, starts at the Senior Citizens Center and moves north along NMJR and returns the Center. All totaled, it’s 6 miles if you cross the finish line. There will be a special, protein-packed spaghetti lunch and dinner available at the center the day before. All proceeds from the luncheon, dinner and walk go to the Senior Citizens Center. The meals are $7 each, and the walk is $20 (with T shirts available while they last) What a wonderful way to spend a crisp Fall day. For more info call Linda at 557-4703.

Speaking of walks, Nilette Rensch, wanted me to let you know the 2nd annual Huntington’s Disease Walk of Hope will take place this Saturday, 9/17, with registration starting at 8 a.m. and the walk itself starting at 10:00 from Jerry Mundy Park. Last year they raised over $35k to combat Huntington's Disease. HD is a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no cure. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual's ability to walk, talk and reason, with eventually the person becoming totally dependent upon others for care. For more info, call Nilette at 316-6626, or simply come on down to Mundy Park this Saturday morning to make a difference.

The MJPD wanted me to remind you to lock your vehicle. They’ve seen an increase in car burglaries, with most coming from unsecured vehicles. Don’t leave items visible. Isn’t it ironic how no one ever thinks it will happen to them, yet there’s ample evidence indicating sooner or later it will, particularly if you “invite” it by not locking your car.

Several of us had the opportunity to talk with the leadership of TDOT and TDOT’s Region 3 this week. All of them still indicate they are shooting for all lanes to be open and operational on NMJR by the end of the year. There will be some cosmetic work to follow next Spring, but essentially this will be months ahead of the original projection. Keep your fingers crossed for continued favorable weather.

That’s about all for this edition. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.

R. Robertson
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1 comment:

  1. Cindy Houston HazenSeptember 23, 2011 at 7:22 AM

    Congratulations!!! Mt. Juliet High School is the top academic school in the state!! MJHS won the the award & the $10,000 prize!

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