2000

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

ADMINISTRATION

1. Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy, Vice-Mayor Robert Parrish, Aldermen John Drinnon, John Niven, Gary Pruitt, and Frank Uhlhorn.
2. In the November 2000 elections, Aldermen Gary Pruitt, Frank Uhlhorn, and Dr. Robert Parrish would be reelected to the Board.
3. The first ordinance passed in 2000 corrected the text of Section 20-142 in the Code regarding vehicles entering or emerging from public and private streets. This section in the recently adopted Code of Ordinances was incomplete and did not include all the necessary provisions to properly enforce the ordinance.
4. The City came into compliance with the legal requirements of Public Chapter 1101, which became the annexation law for Tennessee. Compliance included completion of a Fiscal Impact Analysis for the proposed urban growth boundary area, development of the city’s own growth plan, and an amendment of the city’s reserve area agreements.
5. As a result of all this work, Germantown was able to annex its new Reserve Area, which included approximately 1,431 acres. The area, located adjacent to the old southeast corner of Germantown was roughly bounded by the railroad tracks on the north, the northern bank of Nonconnah Creek on the south, the TVA easements on the east, and Forest Hill-Irene Road, south of Winchester, and Southwind, north of Winchester, on the west. 
6. The Board passed a resolution pertaining to this area. Temporarily termed the “Technology Corridor”, this area was thought best to be developed as a market for high technology firms. The Federal Express Corporate Headquarters and Thomas & Betts helped shape the concept of the corridor. The purpose of defining a corridor was to take advantage of such location attributes to attract similar uses. The resolution was a result of cooperation of Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, and Shelby County. The area has recently been named “FOREST HILLS: A Business Technology Community”.
7. The Tennessee Municipal League Pool sponsored a grant program entitled, Safety Partners. The program matched 50/50 up to $2,000 for purchases of safety equipment intended to enhance safety for employees of the city and the general public. The Board passed a resolution to be able to participate.
8. Employees of the City were recognized for their five, ten, fifteen, twenty and twenty-five years of service. Each department head recognized their respective employees. Mr. Lawton recognized Pat McConnell for fifteen years of service.
9. The Board entered into a Professional Services Agreement with Neel-Schaffer, Inc for the installation of a GIS based automated Collision Records System for the city through the Governor’s Highway Safety Grant Program. A grant request was submitted to the program in the amount of $152,022. The contract was proposed to include workstation computers, software, data entry of existing records and field analyses of the ten highest accident locations from the last five years of collision records.
10. The Board passed the following resolution:

“BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Germantown firmly oppose the use of local governments’ State Shared Revenue distributions to solve the State budget problem; and that the Board appreciates the efforts of our State Representatives and State Senators as they work to ensure that existing city services can be continued without a near doubling of municipal property tax rates.”

11. An amendment to the Sign Ordinance allowed the following signs in a designated office subdivision:

1. 1. A ground mounted subdivision (project) identification sign;
   2. Ground mounted building identification signs for individual buildings;
   3. Wall mounted building and tenant identification signs; and
   4. Directories for buildings with more than two tenants.

12. An ordinance was passed to address prolonged nuisances such as new home construction, home additions or installation of swimming pools that take several years to complete and cause unsightly conditions on the property. The ordinance gave the city the authority to issue a citation if the situations were not corrected.
13. The Board authorized the City of Jackson, Tennessee to issue up to $4.4 million in revenue bonds. Union University wanted to issue tax-exempt bonds to finance acquisition of property within Germantown. Under Tennessee Code Annotated, the facilities board created by the City of Jackson could issue bonds to finance facilities outside its city limits. However, it was required to gain approval by the jurisdiction in which the bond proceeds would be used (Germantown).
14. Houston High School was granted $5,000 to assist in funding of their annual “Project Graduation Program”. The program was an alternative to many of the destructive activities graduating seniors find themselves confronted with after graduation. The year 2000 marked the seventh year the program had been held at the Germantown Centre.
15. Members of the Germantown Arts Alliance made a presentation to the Board. Certificates were presented as a “thank-you” to the Board for setting up the structure of the Germantown Arts Alliance and for making a major contribution annually that allows arts to be integrated throughout the city.
16. A Policy Agenda was outlined for FY01 as follows:

1. 1. To have the Southeast’s safest city;
   2. To sustain Germantown’s character;
   3. To be a financially responsible City of Germantown;
   4. To provide exceptional municipal services; and
   5. To have an active and involved citizenry. 

17. As part of the International City Managers Association exchange program, Mr. Petter Wiberg, City Manager of Floro, Norway visited Germantown. Floro is a coastal community of 11,000 citizens located north of Bergen. The first part of the exchange took place earlier in the summer when Germantown’s Assistant City Administrator Andy Pouncey visited Floro.
18. Students from Houston High School won the statewide Science Bowl at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Students from Houston also won both the boys and girls State  Cross County Championships. Cheerleading teams from both Germantown and Houston placed first in different categories at the Universal Cheerleading Association’s 1999-2000 National Dance Team Competition and National High School Cheerleading Championship.
19. The Woman’s Heritage Club donated $9,000 toward the installation of “photo-markers” in the Old Germantown District. The markers help tie the District’s past to its present by illustrating the continuum of history and physical change within the area. Twenty markers are planned to support the goal of “preserving and promoting the historical character of the district”. They mark the location in which a photographer snapped an original historic photo while providing a view of what the photographer saw through his camera.
20. The Germantown Historic Committee hosted a reception in the hallway near the administration department at City Hall. Photographs of the ten individuals who have served as Mayor of Germantown from 1936 until the present were placed on the wall. 
21. A resolution was passed creating the title of Chairman Emeritus to recognize those commission and committee members who served with pride and distinction for a number of years. The first appointed to this position was Mrs. Annie Laurie Hall, who served on the City Beautification Commission. 
22. In 1998, a grant was provided to the Germantown Performing Arts Centre Board of Directors for the initial start-up costs associated with the development of a chamber orchestra. In 2000, the Board appropriated $200,000 to assist in funding the new orchestra. The IRIS orchestra, with Mr. Michael Stern as conductor, played six sold out performances in 2000.
23. The city decided to amend and reorganize the Telecommunications and Cable Ordinance. The existing ordinance was adopted in 1997 and established provisions for the granting of franchises for telecommunications. The ordinance was revisited in an effort to remain responsive to technology updates. The reorganization included putting all references to Cable in Article II and all references to Telecommunications in Article III. Four other changes were also included:

1. 1. Clean up of the existing language;
   2. Insure that all those who locate within the right-of-way are covered by the ordinance;
   3. Establish a process for the franchisee; and
   4.  Negotiation of the annual franchise fee between the city and all users. 

DEVELOPMENT

24. Developments for 2000 included the Cobb Office Building, Walgreens, Wolf River Dental Centre, Brasher Office Building, Corporate Gardens Commercial Park, and the Dugard Office Building.
25. C&M Builders, Inc. were contracted to renovate the Old City Hall/Fire Station Building for $368,990.
26. Rose Construction was awarded the contract to construct Phase II of the Wolf River Nature Area, which would connect Neshoba Park to the Greenway Trail along the Wolf River. Cost of the construction was estimated at $716,729.

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

27. Woolpert, LLC, was contracted for the Water System Digital Mapping and Modeling of the Water Distribution System for $180,300. Germantown’s utility system has over 14,000 customers and several hundred miles of water lines. There are seventeen wells, a number of high service pumps and two water plants. It is a very complex system with varying pipe sizes and pressures. It must be carefully balanced to make sure the water is carried to the points needed. The mapping would allow the city to accurately analyze the data system and make adjustments to efficiently manage the water production and distribution system.
28. Environmental Services Director Sam Beach recognized Edward Dabbs, Joseph Dabbs and Vernon Raines for 10 years of service, Bobby Carter for 20 years of service, and Pat Patterson for 25 years of service.  

FINANCE

29. The FY01 General Fund Operating Budget was approved for $28,751,928, with an additional $15,579,000 for the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Budget. There were forty-six projects on the CIP for FY01, including the Old City Hall renovation, Kimbrough Road improvements, Wildwood Farms Detention, and median landscaping.
30. The Board authorized the issuance of $5,590,000 in General Obligation Bonds, with $2,650,000 going toward Capital Improvement projects. First Tennessee Capital Markets purchased the bonds at a 5.0423% true interest rate. The city must go before the ratings agencies everytime debt is issued and once again both agencies awarded Germantown with a Triple-A bond rating.
31. Director of Finance John Dluhos recognized Helen Marino, Shirley Swatts and Sue Hadaway for 10 years of service and Terry Hutcheson for 20 years.

FIRE

32. Fire Chief Dennis Wolf recognized Mike Green and Katherine Fisher for 5 years of service, Karl Kennin, Thomas Stephens and Shari Turner for 10 years, and Dennis Boswell, Tim Williams and Mike Pohl for 15 years.

PARKS AND RECREATION

33. Parks and Recreation Director Harvey Faust received the National Distinguished Professional Award of the National Recreation and Parks Association. Mr. Faust began employment with Germantown in 1983.
34. Mr. Faust recognized Gerald Nivans for 5 years of service, Ricky Robbins for 10 years, James Poole for 15 years and Donald Vaughn for 25 years. 
35. W.H. Keller Construction Company was contracted to improve Johnson Road Park for $1,223,400.

POLICE

36. Acting Police Chief Richard Hall recognized William Young, Mike Hogan and William Simmons for 10 years of service, Bruce Cannon for 15 years and Betty Brooks for 20 years.
37. Maria Alexander was appointed and confirmed as Chief of Police on May 22 and was sworn in on June 26.
38. 38. In the annual report, Chief Alexander reported that in a five-state region, Germantown enjoyed the lowest crime index in populations of over 25,000 citizens. A new reporting system had been implemented where previously the highest offense would count as one if more than one was committed and now all offenses are counted. Five new police officers were recently hired.