An MTAS report with recommendations regarding the implementation of the 2019 "Barry Brady Act." The Barry Brady Act or Public Chapter 490 amends T.C.A. 7-51-201 by adding subsection (d) which outlines specific types of cancers that are presumed to have been acquired as the result of employment in the fire service and the eligibility requirements for firefighters seeking to be covered by the presumption. This public chapter outlines specific employment, pre-employment, and annual medical monitoring that a firefighter must undergo in order to be covered by the presumption. The Tennessee State Legislature passed Public Chapter 754 in June 2020 amending the Barry Brady Act removing some of the physical medical exam deadlines previously listed in the legislation.

Municipalities in Tennessee are continuing to experience growth and development that in some instances is unprecedented placing significant demands on municipalities in the areas of plan review, permitting and inspection services. Often municipalities are not periodically reviewing fee schedules to ensure they are current and providing sufficient fee revenues to cover related expenditures for plan review, permitting, and inspection services. Municipal leaders desiring to ensure development is paying sufficient fees to generate revenues that cover related expenditures need an objective methodology for performing the necessary financial analysis to determine what, if any, adjustments may be necessary to generate sufficient revenues along with having tools to organize the often scattered and obscure adopted fees into a more comprehensive compilation that can be efficiently and periodically reviewed and amended as needed. A guide has been prepared that outlines an objective process for preparing a financial analysis to evaluate plan review, permitting, and inspection fee revenues to corresponding expenditures. Templates and a sample ordinance are provided to assist consultants with preparing the various tabulations, exhibits and ordinance documentation. Example fee schedules from studies completed for Shelbyville, Signal Mountain, and Lakesite are included to demonstrate how the templates were utilized and customized to fit the specific fee structures of each municipality. MTAS consultants should work collaboratively with municipal staff to prepare the financial analysis and if sufficient disparity between revenues and expenditures exists, to prepare a comparative exhibit of the existing fee schedule with an adjusted fee schedule that can provide the opportunity for increasing permit revenues. Where significant disparities may exist, a phased or incremental approach is suggested where adjustments may be spread over an extended period of time.

MTAS was asked to provide some samples of vehicle use policies.

MTAS was asked whether the city can make appropriations to nonprofit organizations and, if so, what is the proper procedure.

MTAS was asked several questions related to how Lenoir City complies with the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act concerning how the city pays for overtime.

MTAS was asked to assist the city when an alderman died while in office.

MTAS was asked whether TCA permits disabled and handicapped persons who display the appropriate license plate and/or placard to park in handicapped parking spaces beyond the time limits prescribed by a city ordinance for the parking space.

A citation form to be used by the City of Smithville for offenses that are not traffic related.

This report outlines a method for calculating municipal court costs using audited data, pay records, and reasonable estimates, plus, an ordinance establishing city court costs, including cash bond forfeiture fee and a city litigation tax.

MTAS was asked for information regarding a city's authority to conduct its own tax sale.