1998

Administration | Court | Development | Environmental Services | Finance | Fire | Parks and Recreation | Police

ADMINISTRATION

1. Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy, Vice-Mayor Lisa Parker, Aldermen John Drinnon, Gary Pruitt, Robert Parrish, and Frank Uhlhorn.
2. Recognition was given to Lisa Parker at the conclusion of her eight years of service as an Alderman.
3. In the 1998 November elections, Mr. John Niven was elected to Alderman Position #1.
4. City employee Richard Tuggle retired after 38 years of service.  He retired with the greatest seniority of all time for city employees.  Mr. Tuggle had lived and worked in Germantown all his life.
5. The Board passed the following resolution:

“That any official statements regarding the position of the City have the approval of the majority of the Board”.  

6. Amendments were passed for the Zoning Ordinance pertaining to wireless transmission Facilities.  The amendments were designed to facilitate the lengthy process of approval in specific applications for those providers or users who comply with the ordinance.  Each amendment was designed as an incentive to encourage the development of wireless transmission facilities as prescribed by the ordinance.  The amendment addressed the following issues:

1. 1. Tower height when sharing use of existing power transmission line towers;
   2. Review and approval of wireless transmission facilities on a street right-of-way; and
   3. Review and approval of wireless transmission facilities, which share a facility currently under contract the city, which exists on public or private property and is not located within an existing power transmission line tower.

7. The City received revenues amounting to $5,500 from the Germantownopoly game. The contributions were made by individuals, community groups and businesses that advertised space on the board game.  The Germantown Library Commission initiated the fund raising and the funds were transferred to the Library Donations Expense Account.
8. The Board gave the Houston High School Concert Choir a formal sendoff for their concert tour of Europe.  The tour would include concerts in Germantown’s Sister City of Konigs Wusterhausen, Germany as well as stops in Prague and Vienna.  Exchange students from the Sister City came to Germantown and a resolution was read in their honor. 
9. The Board passed the following resolution:

“BE IT RESOLVED….that its employees do not need or require a union or third party representative to communicate their interests to the administrative staff or the Board”. 

10. The Tennessee House of Representatives passed two measures, which would permit senior citizens on limited incomes across the state to defer their property taxes until death or until the sale of their properties.   It was estimated that the bills would eventually make the difference to thousands of senior home owners who presently live on the edge of poverty.  The reason the legislation was so special was because the original idea for the bill came from the Germantown Senior Citizens Advisory Commission. 
11. The Personnel Advisory Committee recommended raising the annual salary of the Mayor to $12,000 and the aldermen to $6,000.   The City Charter states that “no increase in salary shall take effect until there have occurred two biennial elections following the passage of this ordinance.  The Ordinance did not take effect until 2001.
12. The city purchased the old library facility from Shelby County for $900,000.  The city paid $58,500 for renovation plans for the old library and the Municipal Center.
13. An amendment was made to the Zoning Ordinance creating a new Office District designated “O-51”.  The new district had limited office uses with a maximum building height of 51 feet.  In an effort to reduce any possibility for negative impact to adjacent properties, and to maintain the city’s concept of residential character, steps were taken to relate additional building height to additional horizontal setbacks. 
14. The Board accepted a grant by the state for $100,000 for the Germantown Performing Arts Centre and $50,000 for the library.
15. A grant was awarded to the Germantown Charity Horse Show in the amount of $125,000 to make improvements to the horse show grounds.  The improvements were to include the concession stand, spectator’s shelter and fencing.  This marked the 50th Anniversary of the Germantown Charity Horse Show. 
16. The city loaned $225,000 to the Germantown Chamber of Commerce to purchase a building to house their office and a Visitor’s Center.   The Chamber would repay the loan in four years, interest free.   The loan was secured by a deed of trust on the property, located at 2195 Germantown Road South.
17. A real estate company’s web page address was added to the list of things allowed to be put on a temporary residential real estate sign.
18. Recognition was given to Jay Kahn for his record of service to Germantown.  He served as an alderman from 1970 to 1986 and played an important role on many city projects including the 2004 Plan, numerous parks and construction of the municipal center.  Mr. Kahn had served the City in one capacity or another for over 28 years.
19. A Germantown Public Safety Commission was established.  The development of the commission was a result of the work performed by the Traffic Safety Task Force Subcommittee on Education.  The commission would have twelve members serving two-year terms with one alderman liaison.  The commission was established for the following purposes:

1. 1. To research, develop and actively present and promote educational and informational activities regarding traffic safety, emergency preparedness, fire safety, public health concerns and other topics relevant to the well being of citizens and the business community;
   2. To serve in an advisory capacity to the Board and City administration regarding public safety and health issues as addressed through citizen education; and
   3. To provide support and service to appropriate city departments and operations dealing with public safety and health concerns, as requested by the departments, such support and service to be limited to public education and information activities and resources.

20. It was determined that with the establishment of the Germantown Community Foundation, it was no longer necessary to have a Germantown Performing Arts Centre Board of Directors. The Board of Directors was therefore disbanded. 
21. The City hired Tischler & Associates to assist in the development of the proposed urban growth boundaries to be in compliance with Public Chapter 1101, a new law that dealt with annexation and incorporation.  Tischler would also develop a fiscal impact analysis of the city’s existing corporate limits and compare it to the proposed urban growth boundaries to see if one could support the other.  The cost of the reports was $58,600.

COURT

22. In November 1997, City Judge Olen Batchelor passed away.  Mr. Robert Brannon was nominated to serve as judge until the November 1998 general election.  Mr. Brannon and Raymond Clift were elected to their respective judgeships for the Municipal Court to serve eight year terms.  The Board increased the salary of city judges from $500 to $1000 per month.

DEVELOPMENT

23. Developments included the River Center Office Building, Germantown Imaging Center, Walgreen’s and Wolf River Center.
24. Two contracts were approved for assisted care living facilities, the Arden Courts Assisted Care Living Facility and the Brighton Gardens Assisted Care Living Facility. 
25. Wireless Transmission Facilities were approved for the water towers, Police Station, Cloyes Park, Hailey Park, Fire Station #4, and Poplar Estates Park. 
26. The Economic Development Commission gave an annual report. The report was focused on what methods the city could utilize to promote, retain and gain new economic opportunities. The commission made the following recommendations:

1. 1. Aggressively promote Germantown as a center of excellence in health care and medical education;
   2. Promote high tech facilities for meetings/conferences with leading technology for real time communications-library, GPAC, etc; 
   3. Promote the hospitality industry-the economic ripple effect is positive; and
   4. Review current building height restrictions. Explore the possibility of increasing heights in ways that are harmonious with the residential theme of the city. Designate certain areas for medical support facilities.

27. The City contracted Rose Construction Company to construct Phase I of the Germantown Greenway Park along the Wolf River. It was constructed in the northwest corner of the city and connected the Gables Greenway to Poplar Estates Park. Cost for construction was $437,687.

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

28. The City added a Wellhead Protection Overlay District to the Zoning Ordinance. The ordinance was designed to protect the Germantown municipal water supply from land uses which would pose a threat to the quality or quantity of ground water being extracted from city wells within the land areas described as Wellhead Protection Areas, Zones 1 and 2. 

The ordinance was mandated by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation as a portion of the Wellhead Protection Management and Implementation Plan for the city. The Plan had four basic steps:

1. 1. Develop a short term zone (Zone 1) of protection;
   2. Develop a long term zone of protection (Zone 2);
   3. Conduct an inventory of potential contaminant sources within the two zones; and
   4. Enact a Management and Implementation Plan.

Steps 1-3 were already complete and the approval of the ordinance completed step 4.

29. The City contracted M.D. Limbaugh Construction Company for the construction of Phase II of the Johnson Road Water Treatment Plant. Phase I was the underground reservoir built in 1995. The second phase included aerators, pumps, a backwash basin and a laboratory building. Three more phases were planned for 1999. The cost for Phase II was $3,445,000, which was paid for by a bond resolution.     

FINANCE

30. The Board adopted the FY99 Budget. The total was $35,894,300, which was a 14.4% increase over the FY98 Budget. The Board also adopted the five year CIP for 1999-2004.
31. The Board issued two resolutions concerning bonds. The first resolution authorized the sale of $7,000,000 Revenue Bonds, while the second authorized the sale of $8,000,000 General Obligation Bonds. The bonds were sold to SunTrust Equitable Securities. The bonds were to fund the construction of the new water treatment plant. 
32. After a reappraisal and review by the state, the city’s Real and Personal Property Tax rate was reduced from $1.72 to $1.47 per $100 of assessed value.   

FIRE

33. A new fire pumper was purchased for $247,050 to replace a 1980 pumper. A rescue truck was also purchased to be used by additional paramedics to provide first responder services to the eastern part of the city.
34. Recognition was given to retiring Fire Department Chaplain Paul Williams. He started as a fire fighter in 1987. His retirement was a result of increased duties as a minister at Bellevue Baptist Church. 
35. State law dictates that a city’s Fire Code be no older than six years. Germantown was using the 1988 edition of the Standard Fire Prevention Code. The city therefore adopted the current code.

PARKS AND RECREATION

36. Sam Beach was named the Public Works Director of the Year by the Tennessee Public Works Association.
37. Policy Letter #33, which governs the sports programs in the city, was changed so that all nonresidents would be charged a fee above the fee to residents. The fee was based upon the percentage of property tax revenues that make up the overall city budget.
38. Contracts to improve Howard McVay Park for $92,000 and Houston Levee Park for $296,000 were approved. The improvements to Houston Levee Park would finalize the master plan for that park, of which Phase I was completed in 1989.
39. Several policy changes were made to the Germantown Centre. The changes included:

1. 1. Senior Resident Family Membership which consists of a husband and wife 55 years of age and older for $250 per year; and
   2. Nonresident Senior Membership which consists of a nonresident individual 55 years of age and older for $225 per year.

POLICE

41. The Department had 75 officers or 2.02 officers per 1,000 citizens. It was recommended that five more officers be hired to offset city growth by 2001.
42. Jaycon Development Corporation was contracted for the Police Department renovation in the amount of $75,930.
43. A 15 passenger van was bought. The 1978 motor home command post (“The Roc”)  was sold. A trailer was opted to be used as the new mobile command post and purchased for $28,771.
44. Police Policy and Procedure Manuals were ordered. The Police had not had a manual before this time.
45. The color of the police cars changed from gray to white, with black and red to match the two high schools colors. The lights were changed to strobe lights for easier repair.