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.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Update: 5/11/10

Good Morning MJ: At last night’s Commission meeting, much of the evening was spent discussing the flood’s impact on Mt. Juliet and relief operations. Below are a few notes from the discussion:

According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate, the primary concern is registering people with FEMA and getting them temporary housing assistance. There are in excess of 17,900 individuals (as of 1300 hours,10 May) who have registered with FEMA so far, with more than $28 million in federal assistance committed.
For those with damage, the thrust at this time is to register in the FEMA database. Individuals who have flood damage, and who have not been contacted by FEMA, TEMA or local authorities, need to register in the FEMA data base. That process can start with calling 1-800-621-3362 (1-800-621-FEMA). You can also register through the web by going to www.disasterassistance.gov
Once registration takes place the person incurring flood damage will receive a phone call from FEMA to schedule an inspection of the residence or business. After the inspection, the FEMA official will provide a loss assessment, upon which a payment will be based.
Again, the key is registering in the FEMA data base. According to FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer, Gracia Szczech, once registered, it takes an average of 2-5 days for an inspector come out. It is taking an average of 7-10 days for the whole process to take place, from registration to payment. Any payment will be expedited by providing a checking account number, thus allowing the funds to be directly deposited.
Businesses with flood damage have their applications processed through the Small Business Administration (SBA). There are currently two FEMA Disaster Assistance Centers set up in middle Tennessee, with the closest one to Mt. Juliet at the 100 Oaks Mall. Chief John Jewell of WEMA indicates there is a plan to open one up at 350 Outlet Mall in Lebanon in the next few days. 448 houses, businesses or government facilities in Wilson County were identified to TEMA for eventual reporting to FEMA. Of that, 119 were in Mt. Juliet.
As you can see, the citizens of Wilson County were hard hit by the 1-2 May floods. Roughly 25% of the damaged facilities reported to FEMA were right here in Mt. Juliet. From a governmental perspective, we incurred damage to our road infrastructure as well to portions of the Charlie Daniels Park and City Hall. Possibly the biggest losses to our city stem from damages to the MJ Little League Park and Youth Football, with the LL Park extensively damaged and Youth Football loosing much of the equipment. At last night’s meeting the MJ BOC agreed to assist with rebuilding the Little League Park, and initially passed an ordinance to provide the League with $50k.

There will be more to come on the flood efforts, but I will close this report with a hearty thanks to the MJPD, Public Works and Parks for their exceptional work during this recent catastrophe.

Take care and talk with you later.


R. Robertson

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 11, 2010 at 1:03 PM

    To the Commissioners that voted yes for the $50,000 for the ballpark.....a BIG THANK YOU!!

    ReplyDelete

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