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.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Update: 12/11/09

Good Afternoon MJ:

It was truly wonderful to be part of a very moving ceremony recognizing the achievements and contributions of Captain (USN) Barry “Butch” Wilmore at the MJHS this morning. A native of MJ, Captain Wilmore recently served as Commander of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. He and Mrs. Wilmore “tag-teamed” to bring the crowd of several thousand a heart-felt and inspirational message. Captain Wilmore will also serve as Grand Marshall for tomorrow’s Mt. Juliet Christmas Parade. With over 100 floats, marching elements and dignitaries, the 2009 MJ Christmas Parade is likely the largest we’ve ever had and promises to be one of our best. I hope you will join us, on Mt. Juliet Road between West Wilson Elementary and East Division Street starting at 11:00 (rain or shine).

Several of Team Mt. Juliet had the opportunity to meet with business owners from along North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) this week. The focus of the meeting was to discuss opportunities to improve communications and traffic during the on-going construction project. Mr. Shannon Joyner, MJ’s Deputy Director of Public Works, was principal speaker, and was very candid in bringing the group up to speed on the status of the project. The short version is this is the most expensive and complex public works initiative ever done inside MJ. While there’s been good progress, overall NMJR will take 30 to 36 months to complete. At least seven (7) independent construction elements are side-by-side in this effort: TDOT, West Wilson Utilities, Piedmont Gas, the City of Mt. Juliet, TDS, Comcast, and Middle Tennessee Electric. Each has made a commitment to mitigate the impact of the work on businesses, homeowners and commuters, and a vow that NMJR will remain open and every business accessible for the duration. I encourage everyone who reads this note to not forget the small shop owners lining NMJR.

The good news is as a city we continue to beat the recession with approximately 10% more sales tax collected in October 2009 than the year before. Specifically, Mt. Juliet’s share of the $845k collected sales tax for October 09 was $418k compared to $380k collected in 2008. We continue to maintain that it’s your efforts in supporting the city, by “Shopping Mt. Juliet”, that makes a difference in sustaining current operations. However, while speaking about economics, we’ve noted that revenue from the court is sharply down, as it is in several neighboring cities. While there doesn’t seem to be a singular reason for this decline, overall factors include the cost of gas, greater use of mass or shared transportation, personal delays in resolving court fees, and additional congestion along NMJR which relates to lower speeds. The bottom line is there seem to be some improvement in adherence to the speed and traffic laws at several locations throughout the city. On that note, please be aware that red light cameras are now in use at several locations throughout the city. Marked with warning signage, the cameras will be in a “test” mode until early January. If a violation occurs a warning citation will be issued, but no fines attached. Please drive safe during the holiday season.

A couple final notes, last Monday we recognized the members of the MJ Sewer Department. These men had recently undergone a “no-notice” inspection by the Tennessee Department of Environmental Controls and passed with flying colors. With one of the toughest jobs around, they work rain or shine, and are on call 24-7-365 to keep this city operating. They do a fabulous job and are well deserving of recognition. This coming Monday (14 Dec), just after a Special Workshop that starts at 5:00 in City Hall, we’ll have the opportunity to see the MJPD Color Guard in action and hear updates from the leadership of University Medical Center and Cumberland University on their on-going initiatives in Mt. Juliet. I hope you can join us. You’ll also hear an announcement about our latest technological break-through, live web stream broadcasting capabilities anywhere there is the internet. I hope you can join us at City Hall or on Channel 3.

Until next time, stay safe, God Bless and see you at the Christmas Parade.
R. Robertson
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