Fire, Police Becoming Part of Tennessee's Modern Family

1-TENNESSEE TOWN & CITY/DECEMBER 19, 2011 www.TML1.org Use your smartphone to access TT&C on-line. 6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 62, Number 20-22 Dec. 19, 2011 TML District Meetings continue in January Fire, police becoming part of District 7 January 10 City Hall Tennessee’s modern family 9 - 11 a.m. Medina BY VICTORIA SOUTH District 8 January 11 The Chamber Center TML Communications Coordinator 9 - 11 a.m. Covington They’re there when you need TML staff will be on hand to present updates on the latest events and news them, 24/7, even on holidays. That’s affecting municipalities at the state and national levels.For more informa- the message Johanna and Luke Paiva tion, contact TML at 615-255-6416. wished to convey along with baskets of assorted goodies the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at Franklin Fire Department’s Station No.2. Two months ago, the Paiva’s now 10- State’s economic recovery month-old baby boy, Jack, a little fireball with a feathery shock of improving at modest rate strawberry blonde hair, suffered a sudden and unexpected medical BY CAROLE GRAVES "We continue to expect a mod- emergency and Franklin’s fire and TML Communications Director erate pace of economic growth over police staff sprang into action. the coming quarters and conse- What started out as a normal day The state’s economic condi- quently anticipate that the unem- for the Paiva family turned into every Photo by Victoria South tions continue to improve, with ployment rate will gradually de- parent’s nightmare when the usually Ten-month-old Jack Paiva’s parents wound up making the detour of November revenue collections cline,” said Lee Jones, vice presi- playful little boy woke up from his their lives when the the baby became seriously ill and unresponsive coming in 4.5 percent higher than dent Federal Reserve Bank of At- naptime howling in pain. Jack’s during an emergency ride to the hospital. Assessing the urgency of the last year. lanta. “There are significant down- breathing turned shallow and his situation,the 911 dispatcher instructed the Paivas to pull into Franklin’s State finance officials were side risks to the economic outlook, skin pale, as Johanna frantically di- Fire Station number two where Jack received emergency assistance given the news during the Tennes- however, including a stuck housing aled the pediatrician’s office. While from the staff paramedic and fire personnel. On Nov. 23, the family see State Funding Board meeting market, unemployment and expo- listening to the answering service’s returned to the fire department to thank the staff and dispatchers who held earlier this month in Nashville. sure to foreign markets.” pre-recorded message, she felt the helped them. Pictured: Jack, held by staff Engineer Andrew Ivey, tries Commissioner Emkes reported Jones reported that nationally baby go limp in her arms. “His little on an oversized fire hat for size, as his mother Johannah Gilman Paiva that November collections were sales tax revenues for Thanksgiving face and lips turned white, his skin and Franklin Fire Captain Clay Mackey look on. $11.0 million more than the bud- weekend were up by 7.5 percent was cold and clammy, and he closed geted estimate with year-to date over last year and in the Southeast his eyes, and wouldn’t open them through the Mack Hatcher/Cool swered the call. “He remained calm, collections for four months up region it was even higher – an 8.5 when I called his name,” Johanna Springs intersection, Jack grew patient, and caring, determining our $71.0 million more than projected. percent increase. recalls. even more pale and totally unrespon- exact location,” Paiva recalls. As- “It’s important to remember we “Retail sales are coming in Paiva and her husband, Luke, sive. Dialing 911, Johanna tried des- sessing the urgency of the situation, won’t see how ‘Black Friday’ and strong,” Jones said. “The big ques- placed Jack in the car and sped off to perately to revive the child scream- Sedlak directed the distraught par- after-Thanksgiving retail sales per- tion is whether they will continue Williamson County Medical Center. ing his name, as Williamson County ents to pull over at nearby fire station formed until this time next month, throughout the holiday season. But As Luke, a police officer, tore 911 Dispatcher Anthony Sedlak an- See EMERGENCY on Page 3 when we’ve collected revenues for we are cautiously optimistic going November spending,” said Emkes. forward.” Several of the state’s expert Robert Currey, chief economist Governments learning the language of LEAN economists also provided revenues with the legislative Fiscal Review projections for the current budget Committee, reported that nationally BY VICTORIA SOUTH Authority. year, as well as made predictions for the unemployment rate has dropped Parke and guest FY 12-13. Economists described to 8.6 percent and that unemploy- When Chuck Parke first began speaker Keith the state’s economic recovery as ment insurance claims for the state distributing the Lean principals he Groves, from UT’s improving at a modest rate. See ECONOMY on Page 4 learned at Nissan around other de- Center for Industrial partments and industries, he re- Services (CIS), iden- ceived lots of push back. Procure- tified Lean history, Congress repeals three ment and customer service person- applications and nel said “We can’t use this set of tools along with the tools because it’s not manufactur- types of waste that percent withholding ing.” His former employer, TRW plague most indus- Inc., said “We can’t do Lean be- tries and organiza- BY LARS ETZKORN NLC’s Finance, Administration and cause we’re not Japanese—and tions including gov- Nation’s Cities Weekly Intergovernmental Relations (FAIR) Lean requires an oriental mindset.” ernment services. Policy and Advocacy Committee, “That’s what the push back “The whole idea Legislation repealing 3 percent and council member, Gadsden, Ala. was, not from the hourly people, but behind Lean is to withholding as passed by the House NLC, with its public and private from the managers,” Parke recalls eliminate processes last week awaits President Obama’s sector coalition partners, argued that before a group of more than 50 and things that don’t signature. implementation of 3 percent with- attendees at the recent LEAN Con- add value,” said The House passed the repeal holding imposed significant un- ference, sponsored by the Univer- Parke. “And by after the Senate voted 95-0 to do in funded financial and administrative sity of Tennessee Naifeh Center for value, I mean for the Kathryn Rawls, president of the Tennessee Cen- November. The President is ex- burdens for local governments. Effective Leadership in partnership customer.” Lean is ter for Performance Excellence, greets attend- pected to sign the legislation sup- “Many governments do not with the Tennessee Center for Per- geared to produce a ees from state and local sectors at the recent ported by NLC. have existing systems to handle a formance Excellence (TNCPE). simpler, less com- LEAN conference, Improving Public Service: Ap- In a rare showing of bipartisan large increase in additional informa- But after years of successes, in- plex working space plications of Lean Principals, in Nashville spon- agreement, no House or Senate tion reporting or that contain mod- cluding a four-year stint with the and involves the re- sored by the University of Tennessee Naifeh member voted against repealing the ules that can withhold and remit U.S. Air Force, where he taught the duction of steps re- Center for Effective Leadership. law. monies for each payment made,” overarching principals of Lean, quired to complete While never implemented be- said Ronald Green, member, NLC’s Parke, executive director of UT’s vital processes. want to pay for that,” Parke ex- cause of numerous deferrals since FAIR Committee, and Houston city Center for Executive Education, is “Typically 95 percent of all lead plains. “You tell someone in the pro- 2005, the provision would have controller. quick to inform skeptics that Lean time is non-value-added,” said duction industry to go find a broom mandated that federal, state and lo- In addition, NLC called for re- works in any industry, application Groves. Non-value added items in- and 99 percent of the time they can’t cal governments withhold three per- peal because of withholding’s infla- and culture. “Your organization has clude: inventory, defects, overpro- find one,” Groves adds. “When you cent from the payment for most tionary and anti-competitive effects its own nuances,” Parke stressed. duction, waiting, non-standard finish with the broom, where do you goods and services and remit it di- for smaller businesses. “You have to bend and shape these work, transportation, intellect and put it? Well— you have to hide it so rectly to the Internal Revenue Ser- “Companies would have likely tools to make them work for you.” motion. While business or organiza- nobody else will get it,” Groves vice (IRS), to ensure payment of passed the withholding along in in- The conference, Improving tional challenges can be complex, chides, as the audience roars with federal taxes. creased prices when dealing with Public Service: Application of even mundane issues over time, laughter. “As NLC pushed repeal for a governments,’” said Chris Hoene, Lean Principals, featured a video such as sloppy departmental house- Waste includes the failure to use long time, I’m pleased Congress director of NLC’s Center for Re- spot from Mark Emkes, state com- keeping, could increase overhead individual’s mental, creative, and finally realized the mechanisms to search and Innovation.

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