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, November 4, 2011

Update: November 4, 2011

Good Afternoon MJ:

After posting yesterday's update, several subscribers wrote and asked me to circulate some bits of additional info. With that in mind, here's a few additional items from around the community:

Update: City Housing permits remain strong this year (Jan thru EOM Oct) with 279 new housing permits issued during that time. That ranks well compared to last year's banner of 300 for the same time. To refresh your memory, for calendar year 2010, MJ issued more new housing permits than any city in Middle Tennessee . . . this includes Murfreesboro and Clarksville which are both over 100k in population. Another update, in late September MJ received state authorization for city personnel to conduct required electrical inspections of new or renovated facilities. Since that time city personnel have conducted over 130 inspections, generating close to $17k that now goes directly to MJ as opposed to state coffers. Equally important, we are now positioned to provide more responsive electrical inspection services than state personnel were enabled to do. Many thanks to Mr. Keel, Director of Public Works, Mr. Hicks, Chief Building Inspector, and the entire Building and Code team for this initiative. Good work gentlemen!

311 is now operational! If you need to reach the City of Mt. Juliet, you may dial 311 from any landline or cell phone within the city limits. (AT&T customers will not have this service for now, but it's coming soon.) FOR EMERGENCIES CONTINUE TO CALL 911, but for all other city business you can just dial 311 while within the city limits.

In honor of Veterans Day, here's a few special programs for the vets out there:
* Applebee’s is again offering a free meal to military veterans and active-duty service members on Veteran’s Day, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011.
* Chili’s is offering all military veterans past and present their choice of one of 6 free meals during business hours on the 11th.
* Golden Corral will provide a free meal, Monday Nov. 14 from 5 pm to 9 pm in all Golden Corral Restaurants nationwide. The free “thank you” dinner is available to any person who has ever served in the United States Military.
* Outback Steakhouse is offering a week of Free Bloomin’ Onions and Cokes Monday Nov. 7 – Friday Nov. 11. This offer is available to military personnel who have one of the following forms of identifications: U.S Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, or DD-214.
* The Home Depot is offering all active duty personnel, reservists, and retired military a 10 percent discount off their purchases in honor of Veteran’s Day. The offer is valid on purchases of up to $2,000 for a maximum of $200.
* Fee Free Day at National Parks. To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that areas managed by the National Park Service would not charge entrance fees for Veteran’s Day weekend – November 11-13, 2011.

Notice the flag is back in place at Life Assembly? Thanks to Pastor Wharton and the folks at Life Assembly for this great addition to our city! Also, kudos to Seth McDowell, owner and developer of the Old Elementary School (OES) property, for how he and his team are rapidly transforming the center of our city. After a decade of an empty field, the OES is starting to look absolutely wonderful.

Tricia Swaney asked to have this passed along: The MJ Christian Academy's Shopping Extravaganza is this Saturday from 9 to 5 and it's FREE! Called the "Best Shopping Event in Wilson County" this year's edition has been upped from 50 to 75 vendors. The Christian Academy is located at 735 N. MJ Rd.

Ready to Walk? The last "Mayor's Walk" this year will be this Saturday, beginning at the Charlie Daniels Park Rec Center. Come join your friends and fellow citizens at 10:00 in a never ending quest for better health.

Four weeks from this Saturday (3 December) is MJ's annual Christmas Parade. With our own star, Gretchen Wilson, serving as Grand Marshal, this year's MJ Christmas Parade promises to be even bigger and better than ever. Application forms for floats, vehicles and walkers are on line at the city's web page. This year's theme is "Toy Soldier", and entry fees are only $10.00, or the donation of a cell phone that will go to a service member. It should be great day so make sure you put it on your calendar. For more info call Taylor Bates at 566-1660.

That's all for now. Take care and God Bless. Talk with you later.

R. Robertson
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