An orientation of McMinnville officials will continue Friday with a visit from a representative with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service.
The visit will almost conclude a lengthy introduction to city government for new board members. Almost, but not quite, says city administrator David Rutherford.
“No, it will not round out training for the board,” Rutherford said. “I’m working with MTAS to also bring the Elected Officials Academy here. It’s a 10-hour session that is divided into two days. The academy should be the end of their training.”
MTAS educates elected officials on the essentials of municipal government in Tennessee through its Elected Officials Academy. The academy is designed exclusively for municipal elected officials. The course covers various aspects of municipal leadership and is composed of two levels.
The first level, which is what Rutherford is trying to arrange, offers five, two-hour sessions on foundation and structure of municipal government, charter and codes, open records, economic development, and finance. Level two offers 12, two-hour sessions covering the topics of human resources, legislative issues, media relations, and parks and recreations.
Today’s visit from an MTAS representative will be a brief introduction into the workings of municipal government.
Orientation began for officials last month when they sat through a meeting with city attorney Tim Pirtle and Rutherford regarding city procedures and the state’s open meetings act.
Officials have also received a copy of “Robert’s Rules of Order,” a copy of the 2012-13 fiscal year budget, and Capital Improvement Plan that outlines each department’s needs from 2013 through 2017. To help them determine which needs should be filled first, they toured several properties on Jan. 5.
The meeting with MTAS today will be held from 4-9 p.m. at McMinnville City Hall.