MT. PLEASANT CITY COMMISSION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING
December 19, 2011 5:00 PM
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Maury Colvett.
The Invocation and the Pledge were waived.
Those present were: Mayor Maury Colvett, Vice-Mayor Ricky Frazier, Commissioners Chris Frierson, Tom Blankenship and Robert Shackelford, Interim City Manager Tommy Goetz, Legal Counsel Tom Hardin, Recorder Debora McMullin and staff.
NEW BUSINESS:
CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH PROSPECTIVE CITY MANAGER CANDIDATES
Mayor Colvett instructed that the interview process would be each commissioner would ask one question of the applicant beginning with Commissioner Shackelford and going down the line in the same manner for all further questions and named Michael Dill as the first to be interviewed.
Michael Dill expressed appreciation to the board for the opportunity to talk with them and gave each another copy of his resume as well as his letters of reference.
Robert Shackelford asked as a discussion item whether the board was interested in calling in some more of the 
applicants for the position or re-advertising the position due to the fact that the board was down to only two to interview since the other two who had been chosen for interviews had withdrawn their names.
Mayor Colvett stated he felt the board had done its due diligence and chosen the best candidates to interview and he did not want to run the risk of losing the ones they had now.
Vice Mayor Frazier stated he agreed and if the board could not find the right one out of these two, then they could re-advertise the position.
Chris Frierson stated he agreed with the Mayor and Vice Mayor.
Robert Shackelford referred to the ad that was placed to advertise the City Manager position and asked Mr. Dill what his major in college was. Mr. Dill stated he had a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Mr. Shackelford asked how much experience as a city manager he had. Mr. Dill stated almost a year or nine months.
Tom Blankenship asked how many employees Mr. Dill had directly supervised. Mr. Dill answered he supervised 170 employees in Shelbyville, a town that had a population of 20,000.
Mayor Colvett asked whether Mr. Dill was willing to relocate and if so, what kind of timeline he would need to do so.
Mr. Dill stated he would be willing to relocate and the timeline would be based on the sale of his home. He stated he would rent in the meantime.
Chris Frierson asked regarding Mr. Dill’s experience in Shelbyville, was it his decision to leave or the board’s. Mr. Dill stated it was his decision.
Vice Mayor Frazier told Mr. Dill the City has gone through two city managers in the last three years and asked why he would desire the job. Mr. Dill replied he enjoyed the position and was extremely successful in it. He stated Shelbyville was able to dig out of a $700,000 hole and operate a balanced budget with no increase in taxes while he was there. He stated there is opportunity here and he does enjoy challenges.
Robert Shackelford asked Mr. Dill if he got the city manager position and a board member wanted to talk with him about city business, was he willing to talk to them. Mr. Dill said absolutely and added he felt communication with the board was key as well as with the citizens.
Tom Blankenship asked how many years Mr. Dill had been in management. Mr. Dill said 25 years.
Mayor Colvett asked what Mr. Dill wanted his first accomplishment to be and what he saw as the City’s biggest obstacle. Mr. Dill said he believed that would be the issues having to do with the City’s wastewater system. He said he has an engineering background which he felt would be helpful and he would try to dig into that to see if he could help.
Chris Frierson asked Mr. Dill for a brief description of his personal consulting business. Mr. Dill said it was part manufacturing and part team building. He said this involved taking opposing forces and bringing them together.
Vice Mayor Frazier said of the past two city managers, one was a person who had to have it his way or no way and the other was a good guy who just couldn’t make a decision on his own. He asked Mr. Dill where the balance was. Mr. Dill said he believed in treating everyone fairly and the same. He said he would rely on the board, department heads and the citizens before making big decisions, but there would be some he would have to make because that is what the city manager is paid to do and that is the role of the city manager.
Robert Shackelford asked whether Mr. Dill would seek board approval on changes such as policy changes or hiring or firing department heads. Mr. Dill replied it would depend on the situation and whether it was a case of something blatant or not. He said he would confer with the council on big decisions but not small ones since that is what the city manager is paid to do.
Tom Blankenship said Mt. Pleasant has a voting population of 2500 and debt of $10,000,000 in sewage. He said the only way for the town to come out of this is together. He asked if Mr. Dill received this position, would he take some time to get his feet on the ground before making any hasty decisions that all might regret. Mr. Dill replied he would.
Mayor Colvett pointed out Mr. Dill is from a larger town than Mt. Pleasant and said the City is in debt trying to buy new police cars and other things and asked what salary Mr. Dill would expect. Mr. Dill said that was open ended. He said he had read in the paper what the last city manager was paid but he would negotiate on that. He said he was looking for something equitable and if the board agreed he could do the job, they could work through that.
Chris Frierson asked if Mr. Dill’s personal consulting business was something he could readily go to at any time. Mr. Dill said no, it is not. He stated his home is Tennessee and he likes to be at home and enjoys spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He said he had traveled extensively in his businessand wants to be home as it is a quality of life issue.
Tom Blankenship asked if they could keep on talking if the salary offered was $75,000. Mr. Dill replied they would be close.
Mayor Colvett pointed out that Mr. Dill said in his resume he had reduced the employee headcount in Shelbyville by 10% with no layoff. Mr. Dill said this was done partly through attrition at retirement and part due to cause where employees had done blatant things and received warnings but continued on. He said where those positions were vacated except in the police and fire departments, they were not replaced and this was accomplished by making their departments more efficient, rescheduling, and giving some employees more roles.
Mayor Colvett asked Mr. Dill what made him the best candidate. Mr. Dill stated his experience and “ know how”. He said he has run a business and knows government is different and certainly would have done some things differently in Shelbyville but did learn from those mistakes he made. He stated his management style is that he feels he is no better or worse than any other city employee, but they have different roles. He said they were able to make the 17 person reduction in Shelbyville by working hard, through cooperation and working as a team. Mr. Dill explained he has the experience to do the job having had budgets of up to $100,000,000 and 600 employees.
Chris Frierson said according to the City’s charter, the city manager has the authority to run the day to day operations of the city. He asked Mr. Dill whether he sought board approval before terminating those employees at Shelbyville. Mr. Dill said the board knew they were coming before they happened and there were no surprises. Mr. Frierson asked whether before the first termination, Mr. Dill had taken the matter before the board. Mr. Dill said no, he just let them know it was going to happen.
Vice Mayor Frazier asked, given the accomplishments he had cited, why Mr. Dill gave up his position at Shelbyville. Mr. Dill said there were some commissioners there who were very interested in what was best for the City and there was a group of others who were interested in what was best for individuals. He said whether it be an elected official or a city employee, their job is to do what is best for all citizens and he saw the situation was not going to change.
Mayor Colvett asked if Mr. Dill was presently doing his consulting business. Mr. Dill replied he owns a small unique paving business but his son runs it.
Vice Mayor Frazier told Mr. Dill there is a group of people in town circulating a petition in an attempt to change the current charter of the town to mayor aldermanic because they are unhappy with the board. He asked Mr. Dill why he would put himself in a position similar to the one he had described leaving in Shelbyville again. Mr. Dill stated he has learned from the mistakes made in the other job and knows there are better ways to do it or what could have been done and how to do it better because he’s been there. He added if that change in government should happen, he would want some protection as a negotiating point.
Chris Frierson referred to Mr. Dill’s mention of a group of people in Shelbyville and asked whether he left because of that group. Mr. Dill stated there were people there fighting about doing good things because it didn’t benefit their group of people and he realized it wasn’t going to help if he stayed.
There were no further questions for Mr. Dill. Mr. Dill asked the board what the timing for placement of the person in the city manager position was to be.
Tom Blankenship told Mr. Dill there would be a commissioner’s meeting tomorrow and there would probably be someone getting in touch with both candidates shortly to let them know either way.
Mayor Colvett called Michelle Williams into the room.
Robert Shackelford asked Ms. Williams what her degree was in. She stated she has a degree in education and is licensed to teach grades 1-8.
Tom Blankenship asked whether Ms. Williams had not furthered her education in business since her graduation. Ms. Williams said she had pursued a course of education provided by the International Development Counsel in Community Development which provides a curriculum where you can become a certified planner. She said she had taken forty hours of courses and has been approved to take a national exam in January.
Mayor Colvett asked Ms. Williams what her goals for the City are in one, five and ten years. Ms. Williams stated she felt as a first year goal, the City’s infrastructure is the number one issue and wants to get off the moratorium or at least get something in writing from TDEC to be able to service industry at Cherry Glen with sewer service. She said the water project needed to be monitored closely to prevent it from becoming another problem like the lagoon. Ms. Williams said in five year she wants to see a spec building in Cherry Glen since most industrial prospects want to see a spec building. She said wants to see the morale of the employees and the citizens lifted. Ms. Williams said as for a ten year goal,infrastructure and economic development will be at the top of the list.
Chris Frierson asked Ms. Williams what her responsibilities were while working for the State of Tennessee. Ms. Williams said she managed a field staff of nine regional economic development specialists positioned across the State. She said she trained local officials in economic development and put together a week long training course for local officials.
Vice
Mayor Frazier asked Ms. Williams why she wanted the job as city manager. Ms. Williams stated she had been working with Mt. Pleasant since 2005 when she helped put together the City’s first five year strategic plan. She said she believes there are great possibilities here and wants to be a part of them.
Robert Shackelford pointed out the advertisement the City placed for the position stated it required experience as a city manager, city managers assistant, or equivalent and asked what experience she had in this field. Ms. Williams agreed she had never been either but said she worked with South Central Development District and worked with a lot of city managers and county mayors to address issues and at the State had worked with them across all 95 counties.
Tom Blankenship questioned if nine employees was the most she had ever managed. Ms. Williams said it was but she had worked with hundreds of volunteers and felt they were much harder to manage than volunteers since they can’t be fired.
Mayor Colvett asked if Ms. Williams were given this position and vacated her position at the CDC, would that position remain intact, did she have someone in mind for it and how would she transition that with another person. Ms. Williams said she did have some people in mind but that decision would be made by the Board of Directors. She said the role of that position may change into more of a chamber type position and work with local businesses and events. She agreed it is a vital part of the community.
Chris Frierson asked Ms. Williams regarding her previous experience at the State and the CDC, what qualified her to be the city manager. Ms. Williams replied in her position at the State, she worked with local governments and understands the processes that must occur. She said at the CDC, she learned not everyone will love her in her job and her skin had to get thicker fast. She stated some people don’t want change and they won’t be for you when you are an advocate for change.
Vice Mayor Frazier recalled the last city manager made an accusation that a board member was guilty of some type of intimidation. He asked Ms. Williams how she would respond if such a thing happened to her. Ms. Williams said she would not wait, but would immediately call a special called board meeting and address it.
Robert Shackelford asked Ms. Williams what the largest budget she had managed was. She stated it was $2,000,000 but had managed much larger grant projects at South Central Development District.
Tom Blankenship questioned Ms. Williams after working for the State and telling cities how to operate, could she get on the other side of the fence and handle employees and manage a budget. Ms. Williams said as far as handling employees, she understands the City does not have a flow chart so employees know who answers to whom and there are some positions that do not have job descriptions. She said human resources could be strengthened by putting some of these systems and processes in place. She said she has combed the City’s budget and has no doubt she can sit down with department heads, Debbie and the police chief and put together a balanced budget.
Mayor Colvett asked if Ms. Williams had any ideas on how to keep costs down and keep services going at the same level with no increase in property taxes. Ms. Williams said the utility rates are driven and pretty much set by the projects that are going on. She said in looking back, it appears property taxes have risen about every three years. She said she will look at the budgets and try to tighten belts and maintain current levels.
Chris Frierson stated the Charter gives the city manager the authority to run the day to day operations of the city and asked Ms. Williams what that meant to her. Ms. Williams replied it would be to make sure when people get up and turn their water on they have it, make sure their toilets flush, their garbage is picked up and make sure someone is there to take care of them when they come to City Hall.
Vice Mayor Frazier said of the last two city managers, one was a good guy and the other was a one way only guy and asked whether she would be able to make decisions on her own. Ms. Williams said she would definitely make them on her own. She stated she understands the Charter states the board manages the city manager and the city manager manages the day to day operations of the city.
Robert Shackelford asked if she would make decisions such as policy changes and firing department heads without board approval. Ms. Williams replied she would since that would fall under the city manager’s responsibility in day to day operations.
Tom Blankenship asked if Ms. Williams had friends at City Hall that needed to be fired, could she do so. Ms. Williams replied definitely but she wanted to create a team atmosphere.
Mayor Colvett asked Ms. Williams what made her the most qualified applicant for the position. Ms. Williams stated her background in local government and the fact that she has resources all over the state to rely on as well as the fact that she has been here in Mt. Pleasant. She said she knows the people and the issues.
Chris Frierson questioned what was attractive about this community to make her leave a job at the State. Ms. Williams said she lived here in Mt. Pleasant while commuting to Nashville. She said she worked with a core group of people who were trying to get the CDC off the ground not thinking she would ever be interested in doing the job. She said she was professionally satisfied at that time but in her gut began to think of actually taking the strategic plan and being a part of following that through. She then called Derek Church and told him she wanted to put her resume in for the job.
Vice Mayor Frazier commented Ms. Williams had applied for this job once before and knows the situation the City is in and that some citizens are not happy with this board. He asked was she 100% sure she was ready for this job. Ms. Williams replied she was aware this could be a one year gig but that didn’t scare her. She said she wants that one year to make changes and see where the City is one year down the road.
Robert Shackelford asked Tom Hardin to verify that the contract offered will be for one year and after that it would be an indefinite period.
Mr. Hardin stated that was right with the exception that a governing board can only enter into a contract that is no longer than their term of office or two years in this case. After that, the city manager would be an at will employee.
Tom Blankenship said Ms. Williams traveled to Nashville when she worked there and asked knowing the situation the City is in, did she feel the City should be paying employees to come to work. Ms. Williams said she would have to look at that and see what department they were in and what the costs were. Mr. Blankenship said being on call is different from driving to work and asked why the City should furnish an employee a vehicle to come to work in every day. Ms. Williams said she would just have to look at the employee and see what their job is.
Mayor Colvett told Ms. Williams she knew what the past city managers were paid and asked was her salary requirement in the area of that amount. Ms. Williams said it was.
There being no further questions from the board, Mayor Colvett asked Ms. Williams if she had any questions to ask the board.
Ms. Williams said she would like to hear from the board members what their expectations were for the city manager in the first year.
Vice Mayor Frazier said he would like to see unity brought to the City employees and see them be given the security of knowing they will be alright. He said they need consistency and morale boosting and he wanted a city manager who would make decisions on their own but be considerate and keep the board informed.
Mayor Colvett said he would like to see structure added and said he was in agreement that a flow chart needed to be developed and put in place.
Robert Shackelford said he would not like to see another dictator in that position.
Tom Blankenship said he just wants things fixed, rules and regulations to go by and see them followed.
Chris Frierson said he would like to see “one team one dream” brought to Mt. Pleasant by someone who cares about Mt. Pleasant and will make decisions that will benefit Mt. Pleasant.
There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Chris Frierson and seconded by Vice Mayor Frazier. The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:20 PM.
intriguing journey peopled with mesmerizing characters, said historian Bob
Tiffani, 18, is the owner and operator of the Small Town Diner located on South Main Street. The restaurant had its formal ribbon cutting and opening on November 11, 2011. Tiffani worked for the former owners of the diner as a waitress and a cook until she had the opportunity to buy the restaurant. Her willingness to take on the challenge of owning a restaurant at such a young age and her hard work has earned a great deal of respect from her loyal local customers. She looks forward to many years of service with Small Town Diner, which specializes in home-cooked meals and weekly specials.
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John Hatcher Member of the Year for MP Chamber
Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Names John Hatcher Member of the Year
Mount Pleasant TN
Jan. 23, 2012-
John M. Hatcher was named Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce member of the year. Hatcher was cited by Chamber vice-president William Moon as having a great deal of commitment to the Chamber and to Mount Pleasant, but noted that “John is the kind of person who likes to work behind the scenes.” Among John’s many contributions to the Mount Pleasant Chamber is leading the development of Second Saturday Flea Market.
Second Saturday has been a successful addition to the Mount Pleasant Community Center since April 2011. John has also served on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors for two years, focusing on communications, advertising design, and the town’s branding strategy. “I am honored by this award, but I want to say that the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce is successful because of the commitment of our entire board,” Hatcher said. “I am proud of the exciting accomplishments of the Chamber board and the CDC. I appreciate being part of a great group of people who want to serve their community.” John’s business hatcherimages.com, formerly Hatcher Photography, has been in Mount Pleasant since1986. John’s versatility has attracted a wide variety of clients, including a music star, corporate clients, studio portrait subjects, historical professionals, artists, and small business entrepreneurs. His recent business focus has been on website development and small business consulting. John’s services include graphics, photographic images, strategy, communications, and branding. A native of Smiths Grove, KY, Hatcher and his wife Linda moved here in 1983 after John was promoted to territorial manager for a large school photography studio based out of Bowling Green. Shortly after, John became the chief photographer of The Columbia Daily Herald, where he won numerous awards, the most prestigious of which was being named Photographer of the Year by the Tennessee Press Association in 1986 for his photographic essay on civil rights. Hatcher also captured an image that was just one of two in the Herald’s history to be picked up by the national wire service. At age 24, John was awarded the exclusive photographic contract for General Motors’ Saturn Corporation, then the largest industrial development in the history of the world. This contract launched Hatcher Photography Company in Mt. Pleasant in 1986. The Hatchers founded The Village Peddler and the Mid-South Journal, both of which won publishing awards for excellence in the early 90′s. John served as an adjunct professor of photography at Columbia State Community College for six years, as well. His images have appeared worldwide in such publications as The Harvard Journal, Time, Newsweek and Encyclopedia Britannica. John’s volunteer work has included coaching kids in Dixie Youth Baseball League and providing leadership for Boy Scouts of America as advancement chairman and adult trainer for Cubs. John and Linda’s sons Joshua and Benjamin are active in these organizations. He is also chairman of the Mount Pleasant board of zoning appeals, and is a board member of the town’s museum.