Good Evening MJ:
Here’s a few items of interest as we head into America’s 234th Birthday.
A special thanks to those who came out to our HOA/Citizen’s Update on Tuesday. For those who couldn’t make it to the meeting or haven’t seen it on TV yet, the briefings are being rerun on Channel 3 every Monday & Thursday at 5:00 p.m., on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and on Sunday’s at 2:00 p.m. for the next few weeks. You can also access the materials at the Mt. Juliet city homepage (www.cityofmtjuliet.org) There were several questions and some lively discussion. One of the questions we all found interesting was a citizen’s observation that the MJ Police Department was undermanned, and should probably have at least 30 more officers. While I don’t think most citizens would disagree the PD could use more help, I don’t think anyone, including the leadership of our own force, would recommend the need or associated cost for this.
The Codes Enforcement Section of the Public Works Department have been overwhelmed with sign related issues; specifically those dealing with political campaigns. While campaign signs are a time honored tradition, city ordinances place some restrictions on them, as they do with all temporary signs. If you have any questions, the best tip is to speak with either Mr. Thomas or Mr. Meadors, the city’s Code Officers. They can be reached at 642-9520 or 566-9360 respectively. There are difference rules pertaining to the size of a sign between commercial and residential areas, but the best rule of thumb is to ensure your signs are placed 10 feet back from the curb or road edge. This area constitutes the city’s right of way, and in general signs must be outside the right of way. Just to dissuade any notion of “favoritism” on the enforcement front, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Meadors picked up nearly 250 signs in the right of way last month.
As a reminder, the 4th Fireworks Extravaganza will be on Sunday, 4 July. Providence Mall will be hosting special events throughout the mid-day and evening, with the fireworks starting around dusk. I spoke with Mr. Tom Needham, who is hosting the fireworks display, and he indicated this promises to be one of his largest shows.
A final good note for your Fourth; we ended the June with 44 new housing permits issued, the largest number for June since the Providence hay days. Take care MJ and have a great 4th of July.
R. Robertson
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.
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.
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