1. Alternative School Guaranteed Maximum Price (Schools)
2. Energy Efficient Schools Initiative Loan Agreement (Schools)
3. Financing Energy Efficient Schools Initiative Loan Agreement pending
4. Encourage the Observance of the Ten Commandments
5. Amend Budget year ending June 30, 2011(Circuit/Juvenile)
With the resignation of Robertson County EMS Director Jackie Wilkerson, County Mayor Howard Bradley moved quickly to maintain continuity by appointing an interim director.I have intentionally refrained from taking time to write on this issue since I did not want to contribute to the proliferation of the rumors and innuendo that many of you have inquired with me on in the past several weeks. Channel 4 covered this story this week (there is a video). I will say, with what has been discussed and what continues to come forward in the fallout. Here is their coverage of the issue:
Last spring, Robertson County's EMS Director Jackie Wilkerson signed an agreement with Saint Thomas Hospital to send Robertson County ambulances to Davidson County High School football games. However, the mayor said that Wilkerson didn't get permission.
"It shouldn't have happened. First of all, he was not authorized to sign a contract," said Bradley.
"I thought that's why I was the director. I could make those decisions," said Wilkerson.
County leaders call what occurred a breach of safety because if there was a major emergency in Robertson County, some ambulances would have been farther away.
"He knew I was sending trucks to cover events," said Wilkerson.
"The mayor knew?" asked reporter Jonathan Martin.
"Yes sir," said Wilkerson.
Wilkerson and the assistant EMS director are resigning over this controversy. After 23 years on the job, Wilkerson said he's hurt that he's leaving over a decision that ultimately brought in money for the county.
"The fact that my ability was questioned after all these years. Yep, that hurts," said Wilkerson.
"It should have been made universally aware to not just the committee, but to the full commission. There was a lapse there that shouldn't have happened," said Bradley.
Wilkerson's final day on the job was Wednesday. An interim director is already in place.
Because of what happened, the county mayor says he's meeting with all department heads about getting approval before making certain decisions.This week's CC Personnel & EMS committee meetings will be that much more important as we move forward.
This free bus service is operated by Gray Line of Tennessee and is designed to gauge the interest of commuters in Springfield and Joelton. Buses for this route will make a morning trip to Nashville and an afternoon trip to Springfield. The buses for the route are equipped with restrooms and televisions and can accommodate up to 56 passengers. Cost to ride is free; however, it is on a first-come, first-served basis up to the 56 person capacity.I am personally excited about the 'R&R' program just simply for what information we can derive from it. What do I mean by that? Well, as I discussed in the previously, for the County to be able to evaluate where it is, and where it needs to be so far as growth will be something that leaders need to consistently.
As studies continue to be published highlighting the tremendous need for the middle Tennessee region to find new and more efficient ways for our working population to get to and from work in the region without exacerbating the already congested roadways, services such as these commuter express buses will be an important component in any regional transportation plan. The popularity of programs like Relax and Ride will also highlight the need for more study of light rail and bus rapid transit systems to serve our community.Here are the logistics:
Buses depart from downtown Springfield at 7th Ave. W. and Locust Street at 6:30 a.m., stop at the Springfield Wal-mart at 6:41 a.m., Joelton Family Dollar at 6:58 a.m. and arrive at Music City Central in downtown Nashville at 7:18 a.m.
The buses will then continue towards the Vanderbilt University campus with stops at 10th Avenue and Broadway at 7:25 a.m., 21st Avenue and West End at 7:30 a.m., 21st Avenue and Edgehill at 7:33 a.m. and arrive at 21st Avenue and Children's Way at 7:37 a.m.
The afternoon bus will depart 21st Avenue and West End at 3:48 p.m., stop at 21st Avenue and Edgehill at 3:51 p.m., 21st Avenue and Children's Way at 3:58 p.m., 10th Avenue and Broadway at 4:08 p.m., Bay 7 at Music City Central at 4:15 p.m.
From downtown, it will continue towards Joelton, stop at the Joelton Family Dollar at 4:40 p.m., Springfield Wal-mart at 4:56 p.m. and arrive at the downtown Springfield at 5:12 p.m.If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kerry Roberts of Springfield won by wide margins in Robertson County and ran a strong third in Sumner, while Gallatin candidates Bryan Bondurant and William Slater split the Sumner vote. The 18th District seat covers all of Robertson and all but one precinct in Sumner.
Roberts, 49, will face Democratic nominee Ken Wilber in the March 8 general election. Wilber currently serves as mayor of Portland.
"I hoped to win but it was a very close race, and I'm just very excited and thrilled by the outcome," Roberts said Thursday.UPDATE:
....UPDATE #2:
The first number is votes in Robertson County. The second number is votes in Sumner County while the third number is their total of votes for both counties.
Bryan Bondurant, 118 1454 1572
Fred Congdon, 16 215 231
Joe Warren Jones 13 119 132
Kerry Roberts, 1496 835 2331
William Slater, 310 1391 1701
Jeff Stromatt. 26 55 81
Roberts takes the election by a 630-vote margin.
A special general election will be held on March 8. In it, the winners of each party’s primary election will face each other in a contest for the 18th District Tennessee Senate seat vacated by Diane Black.
Today has been an exhilarating day as we celebrate the primary victory. First and foremost, I praise God for his goodness, mercy, and love. There were many difficult days along the way but he is faithful. Second, I thank my lovely wife, Dianne, and our children. The sacrifice on a family is almost too much to bear - but they have been steadfast in their determination to help me win. Finally, I thank each of you - you have a been a wonderful source of encouragement and strength.
Our celebration is short-lived, though. We started working today on the general election which will be March 8th and I'm thrilled to have the support of the other Republican candidates! Please go ahead and circle the date on your calendars now.
Thanks again for all your help! Kerry
Cost of Robertson County Alternative School Project
Water Bonnet Remodel
Guaranteed Maximum Price $1,209,215
From Hewlett Spencer, LLC.
Low Voltage Allowance $ 110,000
Furnishings and Misc. $ 50,000
___________
Total Project $1,369,215
Robertson County Schools, along with most other middle-Tennessee schools took a five-day snow break in January due to snow, ice, and cold. Altogether county schools have used seven of the nine snow days that were built into the school schedule for 2010-11.
Assistant Director Danny Weeks said that in order to provide a bit of a buffer for potential days that might yet be needed, a scheduled parent-teacher day on Feb. 10 has been rescheduled as a normal school instructional day.Like I said, I do not know how things may have changed…
The Robertson County Board of Education has purchased a building which will house the Alternative School and New Central Office. The building is located at 800 Water Bonnet Drive, Springfield, TN. The Board is considering changing the name of Water Bonnet Drive to reflect an image of public education.
Please send your suggestions for names by email to suggestions@rcstn.net or call Donna Trice at 615-384-5588.Recall that the building was purchased for the Alternative School. The School Board is quickly moving to get this site ready for potentially relocating the Central Offices to this location.
AN AUDIT COMMITTEE HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED
Robertson County does not have an Audit Committee. Sound business practices dictate that establishing an Audit Committee would significantly improve management oversight and accountability. The absence of an Audit Committee has been a management decision by the County Commission. The Division of County Audit strongly believes that an Audit Committee is a best practice that should be adopted to assist the County Commission by providing independent and objective reviews of the financial reporting process, internal controls, the audit function, and being responsible for monitoring management's plans to address various risks. (page 149).Again, as I have said, I know there is not a "magic bullet" for the County's financial woes, yet, we can entertain ideas that we have not done before to try to solve problems that we continue to see.
Companies, he said, are in a better capital position. They're erasing debt, and once times are better, he thinks there will be an investing spree.
The national figures seem to support his position.
Norbert J. Ore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee said in an official report that the manufacturing sector "continued its growth trend ...
Robertson County must be ready, too. I am confident that our own Robertson County Economic Development Board is taking the necessary steps to prime Robertson County for position when the economic downturn begins to shift direction.Economic development is pivotal for it permeates every aspect of the County.
Today, standing committee appointments were named. There were few changes in the State Senate, except that Sen. Ken Yager was named chair of the State and Local Government Committee. Sen. Yager takes the post after Sen. Ketron moved to the position of Republican Caucus Chair with the departure of former Sen. Diane Black to Congress. Sen. Yager has extensive experience in county government, having served several terms as County Executive of Roane County.
In the House on the other hand, virtually every committee has new leadership. One exception is the State and Local Government Committee, where Rep. Curry Todd of Shelby County continues to serve as chair. Rep. Bob Ramsey of Blount County will serve as Vice Chair and Chair of the general subcommittee of the State and Local Government Committee. Speaker Harwell instituted the first major change under her leadership today when she revamped the subcommittee structure in the House of Representatives. Previously, every House committee had 2 or 3 subcommittees and all bills moved through a subcommittee before passage in a full committee. Now, each committee will have only one general subcommitee and not all bills will be referred to a subcommitee. The Speaker announced the change as a means of streamlining the legislative process.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Revenue collections are showing continued improvement in Tennessee's finances, but the state panel responsible for setting projections for the next budget year has unted that task for another month.I guess we can look forward to the numbers when they are actually released. Just my footnote, but it seems that if they were that encouraging, a water leak would not be cause for delay.
The State Funding Board was supposed to release its projections for the upcoming spending year in December, but blamed a water leak in a state office building for delaying until January.
But at Thursday's meeting, the panel agreed to put off the estimates until next month so it can incorporate holiday shopping activity in December and give the administration of Republican Gov.-elect Bill Haslam a say in the projections after he takes office.
General fund collections were $34 million above projections in December, which reflects economic activity in the previous month. Revenue collections for the year to date stand at $78 million above estimates.
A bomb threat briefly emptied the Robertson County Office building just before 2 p.m. today.
The Robertson County 911 Center was advised by Sumner County that they had received the threat from an untraceable cell phone number and that the link was traced to a cell tower in Sumner County. The caller said the bomb was in General Sessions Court in Robertson County.
Robertson County Sheriff's Office Captain P.R. West had the building sealed and searched before allowing people back in. The search was done quickly and efficiently, and turned up no indication of explosives.
General Sessions Judge Burton Glover wanted to continue with his court docket and once the building was declared safe, people filed back in to offices and courtrooms to resume schedules that had been interrupted.All I could add is a little perspective as someone who was there for the afternoon court docket: It was brief disturbance that was handled with efficiency and professionalism
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will conduct a design public meeting on Thursday, January 13, 2011 in the small auditorium of Springfield High School, 5240 Hwy 76 East, Springfield, TN to discuss SR-65 (U.S. 431) from Old Highway 431 to Walling Road in Robertson County as shown on the general location map.….
This project proposes to widen approximately 3.3 miles of SR-65 along the existing alignment. The proposed road will consist of two 12' travel lanes in each direction divided by a 52' depressed grass median. The proposed right-of-way will vary throughout the project with a minimum of 250'.I hope that you will plan to attend. As this will have a tremendous impact on your District 10, Springfield and Robertson County, I plan to attend. Here are the details of the meeting:
The meeting will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. during which time there will be a presentation and question and answer session. The public is invited to ask questions and make comments during the meeting. Representatives from TDOT will be present to answer questions on any aspect of the project. The preliminary plans will be displayed and the public is invited to review the displays anytime within the scheduled two hours.I hope to see you there!
This meeting is on phase 2 of what will be a multi phase project. Phase 1 is two miles from Memorial Blvd up to where this project would begin, and should begin in the next two years. This is not a small addition, a highway of this type can cost $6 to $12+ million per mile. With these first two phases being a 5 mile total project, and the state picking up the cost, it would be a huge addition to the county. As for the future, the current state rep that covers the Davidson County portion, Rep. Gary Moore, is supportive of the project going all the way to I-24, and he and I will continue to work to get that project on the drawing board and funded... but it will be a long project. If we can get these first two phases moving, it would be a great start. Joshua
