Municipalities in Tennessee are continuing to experience growth and development that in some instances is unprecedented placing significant demands on municipalities in the areas of plan review, permitting and inspection services. Often municipalities are not periodically reviewing fee schedules to ensure they are current and providing sufficient fee revenues to cover related expenditures for plan review, permitting, and inspection services. Municipal leaders desiring to ensure development is paying sufficient fees to generate revenues that cover related expenditures need an objective methodology for performing the necessary financial analysis to determine what, if any, adjustments may be necessary to generate sufficient revenues along with having tools to organize the often scattered and obscure adopted fees into a more comprehensive compilation that can be efficiently and periodically reviewed and amended as needed. A guide has been prepared that outlines an objective process for preparing a financial analysis to evaluate plan review, permitting, and inspection fee revenues to corresponding expenditures. Templates and a sample ordinance are provided to assist consultants with preparing the various tabulations, exhibits and ordinance documentation. Example fee schedules from studies completed for Shelbyville, Signal Mountain, and Lakesite are included to demonstrate how the templates were utilized and customized to fit the specific fee structures of each municipality. MTAS consultants should work collaboratively with municipal staff to prepare the financial analysis and if sufficient disparity between revenues and expenditures exists, to prepare a comparative exhibit of the existing fee schedule with an adjusted fee schedule that can provide the opportunity for increasing permit revenues. Where significant disparities may exist, a phased or incremental approach is suggested where adjustments may be spread over an extended period of time.

Sixteen Tennessee municipalities responded to a survey about longevity pay offered to their employees, including dollar amount and frequency.

Twelve Tennessee municipalities responded to a survey about flexible work schedules for city employees, specifically the option to work a schedule of four 10-hour days.

Nine Tennessee municipalities responded to a survey about their court operations, including number of full and part-time employees; how often court is held; number of cases in calendar year 2023; and how payments are handled (e.g., online or over the phone).

A resolution created for the city of Big Sandy to declare certain vehicles as surplus and to transfer ownership of those surplus vehicles to Benton County government.

This study was conducted at the request of the City of Jackson Fire Chief Don Friddle and Police Chief Thom Corley, authorizing MTAS to conduct an official study of the public safety facilities. The initial charge was for MTAS to evaluate the needs of the fire department and police department as they relate to the possible construction of a new joint use public safety facility for the two departments. Options discussed during the initial meeting between Jackson and MTAS staff included remodeling and reuse of existing spaces and a review of existing facility needs for those departments. Public safety facilities are major investments in the community, and MTAS has included additional information on fire station design and cost estimates to assist Jackson in creating a strategic plan for constructing a new fire station/public safety facility.

List generated from internal research on charter provisions of all cities regarding general law mayor-alderman municipalities that allow non-resident voting in municipal elections.

MTAS was asked about the legal effect of "Children at Play" warning signs. Includes a memo about the application of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).