The latest quarterly report for the City of Murfreesboro has been released and Mayor Shane McFarland spoke to City Manager Rob Lyons about some of the changes that Murfreesboro faces. McFarland also talked about some of the struggles that Murfreesboro and the City of Murfreesboro faces.
One of the items that was discussed was the potential sale of Murfreesboro Electric to Middle Tennessee Electric...
You can watch the full report below.
The State of the City (Murfreesboro) reports on the following topics:
- Lyons provides background on his public administration experience and how he came to Murfreesboro. His career in city management began in West Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a move to southwest Virginia where he served as an assistant town manager. Lyons joined the City of Murfreesboro in 1997 and became the city's first Assistant City Manager. He became City Manager in 2009 following Roger Haley's retirement.
- Lyon's career goal was to work for a progressive, medium-sized community experiencing rapid growth and near a metropolitan area with a university. Murfreesboro certainly fits that criteria.
- Lyons discusses the daily role of a city manager, and how it's similar to a CEO of a company. The responsibility includes hiring employees in cooperation with a leadership team. The City of Murfreesboro has 19 different departments with essentially 19 lines of business, from police & fire to parks, planning, transportation, solid waste and finance.
- His daily tasks include everything from recruiting a company to come to Murfreesboro to a missed garbage pickup in the city.
- He also works closely with the City Council's weekly agenda of issues.
- Lyons and Mayor McFarland talk about the City Council/Manager form of government in which the City Manager handles day-to-day operations of city government designed to take politics out of decision-making and the hiring process.
- Recently, the City of Murfreesboro has experienced wave of retirements in critical leadership positions. The departure of several major department heads has required the hiring of a new fire & rescue chief, police chief, transportation director and city attorney, all within less than a year.
- Lyons credits a fast-growing, vibrant community for allowing the City to hire talented, hard-working professionals that are making a difference in the community.
- Mayor McFarland and City Manager Lyons also talk about the strong relationship fostered between the City Council and City Management highlighted in recent decisions to purchase the Franklin Synergy property to promote development.
- The Council/Manager form of government requires that Lyons work with seven elected officials to forge agreement on issues important to the City's sustained growth and development.
- Lyons calls this cooperative relationship a key ingredient for success.
Watch the entire interview below:
