MTAS Mustard for week ended 4/3/20

 

Greetings MTAS,
 
Welcome to week three of the work from home scenario dictated by the novel coronavirus. I hope you are adjusting to the “new normal” and by now have settled into some routines that make the situation easier to manage. I look forward to the day when the virus has been contained and we can all go back to the office(s) together. Although… I have really enjoyed getting to know more of my neighbors who are out walking on the weekends; and without baseball, I’m seeing a lot more of my husband in the evenings! It’s not all bad news.
 
Thanks to all of you who have shared humor during the last few weeks. I think we can all use a laugh to disperse some stress. So, here’s my weak contribution:
     
Our cities are depending on us right now (that’s not new, but the need has a new feel to it). Thank you to everyone for your contributions to make sure that our customers are equipped with all the tools available to them to manage this crisis. We are doing all we can to carry on as usual and to be the tried and trusted resource for research, training and technical assistance. It’s a good thing that we have 70 years of experience to rely upon.
 
I’ve been video calling each MTASer; and I’ve been hearing a few repeat comments. This is what I’m hearing from more than just a couple of people: I really like the commute, I miss seeing my customers in person, and this isn’t as weird as I thought it would be. If you haven’t gotten a call from me yet – just wait – I’ll be checking in!
 
I’d like to give a shout out to Warren, who was the only one celebrating a work anniversary last week. Happy anniversary to Warren on the first of April. Really, he started working for MTAS on April Fool’s Day- no joke! We had no birthdays last week to celebrate, so it’s all Warren this week. Thanks for all those years of service!
 
Here are a few notices that I’d like to point out:
1) Chris is working on the IPS strategy team to study our annual performance review process. If you haven’t yet taken his survey, I encourage you to do so. Look for an email from him dated April 1. If you have misplaced the email, please reach out and ask for the link.
2) If you used to receive information/emails from Public Entity Partners (formerly The Pool) and haven’t heard anything lately, they switched systems and your information may not have been converted. Please send an email to memberservices@PEpartners.org and ask to re-subscribe to their mailings.
3) Baskin Strategies is doing the study for IPS on alternate workplaces. I expect they will contact me very shortly and ask for names of people to interview. Not everyone will get an interview, but they will be meeting (virtually, not in-person) with a sample of job titles.
4) MTAS finances – COVID-19 is having a financial impact on the economy. This should not be news to you. What I want you to know is that MTAS is well-positioned to handle the short term impact of decreased sales tax revenues.
5) Please remember that IPS has teamed up with the Baker Center and the UT Health Science Center to offer a free webinar on the Coronavirus. The webinar on April 9 at 10:00 Eastern is open to you, and to our customers. You need to register however. Here is the link: https://tennessee.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eVO0hvAKQgWENsxfwRbvag
 
Together, we will get through this rough patch and we will lead our customers through it too. We are MTAS, and we’re here to help. We help our customers, and we help each other. Even though we are working apart (we’re doing our part), we are all working together. “We work with Tennessee municipalities to improve the lives of those they serve.” This is our mission statement, and to me it rings even truer right now. Let’s make that vision statement a reality too: “Tennessee municipalities will be a national model of good governance.”
 
Stay strong and stay well MTAS,
Margaret