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, October 7, 2011

Update: October 7, 2011

Good Afternoon MJ:

It’s the day before our annual “Halloween in the Park” blast, and your Parks and Rec Team are busy with last minute preparations in what is traditionally our biggest and best event of the year. Please join us, and over 60 vendors tomorrow for what promises to be a beautiful Fall day. Wear your best costume. There’ll be loads of free candy, great live music, food, hay and pony rides as well as inflatables for the kids. We have over $1k in prizes donated this year for the costume contests thanks to John Barker and his crew at Two Rivers Ford. It all starts at 11:00 am.

Do you have a question on your property taxes? We had another request to publicize the property tax calculator web site. Go to http://www.tennesseetrustee.com/node/13 and just follow the menu.

Kudos to the MJ Animal Shelter’s 501 3C Board of Directors for their excellent guidance and stewardship of the Shelter’s charitable fund. Thanks to them the Shelter continues to have the resources to work with select animals without consuming additional taxpayer funds. They are, in large measure, responsible for raising both the money and food donations that has enabled the MJ Shelter to not spend any operational funds on animal food in now nearly three years. Well Done! Speaking of the Shelter, there will be an Adoption Fair at Halloween in the Park. What a great opportunity to see your prospective pet in the great outdoors.

The Mapco North Station is up and operational. We wish General Manager James and his entire team the best of luck in their bright, attractive and well-designed new store. We also want to welcome a new store, Great Price Cleaners, on Lebanon Road at the Clearview Shopping Center, to the growing roles of new MJ businesses. A few other business notes include Kay’s Jewelers build-out is going great. They should be open just in time for the holidays; the Massage Envy at Providence has an awesome new addition going up; Price’s Collision Center commercials are advertising their new MJ location will be the their largest in the state; the new Firestone Store (behind Cheddars) will hold their ribbon cutting today; and the Diamond Dance Academy at Providence Commons is open for business with a ribbon cutting scheduled for next week. Good luck to all.

Best wishes and God’s speed to the Mission Team from Grace United Methodist (UMC), Providence UMC and churches from around the nation for their mission trip to Zimbabwe, Africa the next few weeks. Under the watchful eye of Mt. Juliet’s own Dr. Paul van Burean, this team will be doing medical, social and construction work with citizens from one of the world’s most challenged nations. Safe travels.

The Annual Martin Cummings Sweet Tooth Auction to benefit United Way - specifically Mt. Juliet Sr. Citizens Center and Mt. Juliet Help Center, will be Tuesday, October 11th at 9:30, with light breakfast at 9:00. Plenty of wonderful cakes, pies, etc., to be auctioned!!! Always a lot of fun, and open to the public!! The event will be at Crye-Leike Realtors on 1285 N. Mt. Juliet Road.

On a final note, the Community Resiliency program is gearing up. To refresh your memory, MJ was selected as one of the seven pilot cities across the US to work with federal officials at Oak Ridge National Labs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to drill into what makes some communities more resilient to natural, man-made or economic disasters. Last month several of us from MJ attended a Department of Homeland Security session of what the pilot program is designed to do, and how it will be tested in these 7 select cities. The fun part is about to begin, and we wanted to extend an invitation to one or two select persons who want to make a difference in our community, and who has some time and the skills and talents to help us move MJ forward through the program. Does any of this sound like you or someone you may know? If that’s the case call or email me at (754-2552) or Mr. Mark Hinesley, Director of the MJ Chamber of Commerce (758-3478 or cell 668-5614/ email: mtjuliet@tds.net ) to talk about “what if’s.”

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

R. Robertson

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