01/08/2016

· And about those folks at TML…when you called the TML office in the past 14 years, Mona Lawrence answered the phone and went out of her way to help you. Well, she retired at the end of 2015. Reports from the 7 ^th floor of the Capitol Boulevard building are that it’s unusually quiet around there. Wonder if there’s any connection. Jackie Gupton has filled the vacancy created by Mona’s retirement. Also, the friend formerly known as Sylvia Trice…well, she was married over the holidays and is now Sylvia Harris. Congrats to Mrs. Harris!

· Abner Oglesby is in the house! Welcome to our new municipal court specialist and his family…wife Celeste, 7-year old son Collins and 3-year old daughter, Murphy Bryant. Abb is part of the MTAS training team and has hit the ground running with the court folks across the state.

· Our condolences to Mayor Curtis Hayes and the Livingston Board of Mayor and Aldermen on the sudden death of Alderman Lynn King on Sunday, January 3 ^rd .

· The meeting that Elisha and I (and Robin and Libby and Kristi) had with the new director of the legislature fiscal review committee went well. At least we can put names and faces together, which is always helpful. It was obvious from the meeting that the staff in that office knew about CTAS and MTAS but knew very little about us. Hopefully, the result of the meeting is that they now know how they can help us help them when they send bills for review. The fun begins Tuesday at Noon so please be as available as possible to help Elisha when she requests your help in bill review.

· There are two things (well, no…actually three things) we know about the 2016 IPS Annual Conference. It will be in Chattanooga. It will be in August (10 ^th thru 12 ^th or 24 ^th thru 26 ^th ). MTAS will be represented on the planning team by Michelle Terry and Dennis Wolf.

· Sometimes, less is more. That being the case, we’re going to try something different with the MTAS newsletter. Instead of it being a monthly thing, we’re going to a quarterly schedule. So, in 2016, it will be published early in the months of April, July, October and January (2017). Frances will send out a “deadline” schedule soon. Also, there will be some changes to the look of the newsletter. So, why are we doing this? Better use of staff time to produce and distribute it. Better utility of the information in it by our customers…more instructional…less “fill” (just to produce it) and less competition for reading with all the other things we send out.

· You may recall that, among other things, the legislature (before it adjourned last spring) directed the Comptroller’s office to collect information about requiring a request to view public records be in writing (or not) and charging folks (or not) to merely look at public records. The Comptroller scheduled and conducted public hearings on the issues in Knoxville, Nashville and Jackson. Quite a few people and interests showed up to express their opinion about them. Recently, the Comptroller forward a report of his findings to the General Assembly. It’s a bit wordy, but it’s in the attachment above for your reading. I doubt you’ll be surprised by what it says. MTAS got questions about the issue before and I feel certain we’ll continue getting questions until the matter is resolved legislatively.

· “Martin on the Move”. Another documentary on The Travel Channel? Nope. Kay and Sharee (and their fellow IPSers) moved over the holidays from the first/ground/basement floor of Clement Hall to the fourth floor. We all saw Armintha’s message about the new mailing address earlier today. Wonder which office gets to move next.

· If you are in or near the Knoxville office next Thursday afternoon, don’t forget about the open house and MTAS library naming. I hope you’ll make it a point to be there. Open house is 3-5PM and the library naming is at 3:30PM.

· Lastly, remember a few things…
o What each of you do every day for our customers and each other is recognized and appreciated.
o “ Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo”. –John Sinclair, poet. (yes, you probably saw this already in today’s ICMA SmartBrief. Struck a chord with me.)
o Dana has a birthday tomorrow (January 9 ^th ) and Doug has one next Wednesday, January 12 ^th . Thirty-ninth for both, I believe. Happy birthday guys!
o That golf ball…you remember, the one with the 300-500 dimples…it can weigh no more than 1.620 ounces and have a diameter not less than 1.680 inches to comply with United States Golf Association and Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews rules.

· Have comfortable weekend.

Jim Thomas, Executive Director
UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service
(O) 615. 532.4950 (C) 615.972.9219

jim.thomas@tennessee.edu

www.mtas.tennessee.edu