6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 64, Number 19 Nov. 25, 2013 21st Century Steam train excursion program rolling through Tennessee’s communities Make plans to attend TML District Meetings When the final session of the present updates on the latest events 108th TN General Assembly con- and news affecting municipalities at venes on Jan. 14, 2014, state govern- the state and national levels. ment leaders will address numerous Please don’t miss the opportu- issues of interest and concern to nity to attend these important meet- Tennessee’s towns and cities. ings. Notices for the December It is imperative that local offi- meetings have been sent. If you cials are aware of the potential im- haven’t done so already, please pact these issues might have on mu- RSVP to attend the meeting in your nicipalities before lawmakers begin area. their deliberations. Contact TML for more informa- TML staff will be on hand to tion at 615-255-6416. Dec. 3, 2013 District 5 & 6 Brentwood 10 am - 1 pm Library Photo by Victoria South Dec. 4, 2013 District 4 Sparta Norfolk-Southern, in partnership with The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, has helped bring about railroad education and renewed interest in train travel through the 21st Century Steam Excursion 10 am - 1 pm Oldham program. Restored vintage trains have been rolling through Tennessee and other states to help Theater demonstrate the vital roll the railroad plays in communities. As part of the program, 400 passengers rode the Chattanooga to Oneida train to be greeted by a crowd of well wishers at Oneida’s first Vintage Train Fest held at the city park. Pictured: Conductor Robert Duncan waves to the crowd, as the excursion cars, Dec. 5, 2013 District 3 Cleveland pulled by a 1904 locomotive, leave for home. See the story on Page 3. 9:30 - 11:30 am Chamber of Commerce Athens Vice Mayor Ann Davis receives Additional prizes added to Women in Government Leadership Award Recognized for outstanding leadership in local government Walk Tennessee Challenge Athens Vice Mayor Ann Scott roles, including as executive direc- Davis was selected as the 2013 re- tor of the McMinn County Living cipient of the Women in Municipal Heritage Museum. She has also vol- Top Leaders Government Leadership Award. unteered on various local, regional The award was presented at the and state committees and boards in- City of Nolensville Women in Municipal Government’s cluding as president of the Tennes- 67,265 Team Points! (WIMG) annual award luncheon see Association of Museums. City of Manchester and membership meeting in Seattle Other finalists for this year’s 20,441 Team Points! as part of the NLC Congress of Cit- award were Lois Tarkanian, City of Elizabethton ies Conference. Davis was recog- councilmember, Las Vegas, Nev., 1058 Team Points! nized for her unique and outstanding and Cathy Boring, councilmember, City of Jackson leadership in local government and Dublin, Ohio. 690 Team Points! her role as a mentor for future female WIMG is a constituency group City of Lakeland leaders. of the National League of Cities 119 Team Points! Born and raised in Athens, (NLC). It was formed in 1974 to Tenn., Davis was first elected to the serve as a forum for communication Athens City Council in 2008 and and networking among women mu- Walk Tennessee, a fun, social So get your walking shoes on! currently serves on NLC’s Commit- nicipal officials and their colleagues challenge to determine the most ac- It’s still not too late to get your city tee for Economic and Community interested in addressing women’s tive city in Tennessee, is off to a involved. Development and on the board of issues. WIMG strives to raise aware- great start, with more than 280 par- To join Walk Tennessee, go to directors at the Tennessee Munici- ness about issues of concern to ticipants actively engaged on 17 city www.cmecompete.com/communi- pal League. women and encourages women to teams. ties/walk-tennessee or contact Dan Throughout her distinguished seek public office in their communi- Launched in September by the at [email protected]. career, Davis served in a number of ties. Ann Scott Davis Tennessee Municipal League, the six-month challenge is designed to be a fun way to help combat a serious Pew Report: Cities hit late by Great Recession problem – obesity and the plethora of health problems that occur from the cities. being overweight such as cardiovas- Still struggling to rebound • Fluctuations in aid from the federal Why Cities Matter cular disease, type 2 diabetes and and state governments—a source high blood pressure. A new study by The Pew Chari- cal challenges in several ways, such that city policymakers do not con- Cities are an essential compo- As local leaders in your commu- table Trusts, “America's Big Cities as dipping into reserve funds, cut- trol—was the leading factor in 14 nent of the nation’s prosper- nity, you can play a critical role in In Volatile Times: Meeting Fiscal ting spending, and increasing rev- cities’ revenue declines and re- ity—central to the quality of life, this fight against obesity by becom- Challenges and Preparing for the enues from tax and nontax sources. bounds. livelihoods, and the long-term ing actively involved in creating Future,” found that 30 large U.S. For example, halfway through fiscal • Declines in smaller revenue prospects of most Americans. healthier communities and signing cities have recovered slowly from 2009, New York City reversed a 7 sources—such as investment in- Pew’s American Cities Project up your city to participate in this city- the Great Recession and have uti- percent property tax cut and elimi- come or income from the sale or focuses on the biggest city in to-city initiative for better health. lized an array of tools to navigate nated a homeowner rebate program, lease of assets, like parking meters each of the nation’s 30 largest Cities that have missed the the economic downturn. which boosted revenues and con- or facilities—played a dispropor- metropolitan areas and helps deadline for signing up, but are inter- “American cities are still suf- tributed $2.3 billion to property tax tionate role in driving budget short- policy makers understand key ested in participating, still have time fering from the effects of the worst growth. Using a different strategy, falls in most cities. challenges and promising ap- to get their team together. Many cit- economic decline since the Great Sacramento tapped its reserves dur- • Property tax revenues remained proaches. ies are just now getting organized Depression,” said Kil Huh, director ing and after the Great Recession to relatively robust until 2010 and and setting up events. of state and local fiscal health at help close budget shortfalls. This 2011. Further projected declines of Most Americans either reside The winning city will be an- Pew. “As policymakers continue to tactic reduced fund balances from 31 this key source suggest cities may or work in cities, and the poli- nounced in early spring 2014. Not confront difficult fiscal conditions, percent of general revenues in 2007 face new challenges in coming cies, programs, and services only will that city lay claim to the Pew’s analysis suggests that rev- to just 6 percent in 2011. While these years. of those places touch people’s title, “The Most Active City in Ten- enue challenges will continue in the strategies offered some short-term Pew’s American cities project lives directly. Whether cities nessee,” but the top four cities will coming years. This is important solutions, by 2011, many cities were focuses on the biggest city in each of succeed or fail will have an receive prizes for their efforts. given the outsized impact cities still dealing with both declining rev- the nation’s 30 largest metropolitan outsized impact on the nation’s Two different pieces of outdoor have on the economies and long- enues and the consequences of re- areas and helps policymakers under- economic recovery and long- workout equipment have been do- term prosperity of their states and duced spending and shrunken re- stand key challenges and promising term prosperity. nated as prizes for the Walk Tennes- the nation as a whole.” serves. solutions. see challenge – a single air walker While each of the 30 cities stud- Key findings include: The cities in Pew’s study were: In the aftermath of the reces- and a seated chest press. ied had its own distinct experience, • The 30 cities felt the recession’s Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chi- sion, cities are contending with Playcore has just released a Best most cities’ budgets felt the effects fiscal effects late. Most hit their rev- cago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, fiscal challenges, including Practice Guide for Outdoor Adult of the Great Recession later than the enue bottoms a year or more after the Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas lower property tax revenues Fitness Parks. The guidebook is a federal and state governments. end of the national downturn and City (MO), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and cuts in state and federal timely tool for providing communi- Relatively strong property tax col- after state governments reached Miami, Minneapolis, New York, aid, as well as continuing high ties with guidance for creating lections helped defer the fiscal im- their low points. Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, levels of poverty and unem- meaningful outdoor fitness spaces. pact of the Great Recession on these • More than two-thirds of the cities Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), River- ployment. At the same time, In addition to a copy of the guide- cities, but in 2010 these revenues had not recovered to their previous side (CA), Sacramento, San Anto- they are grappling with pro- book, a winning city will receive a began to falter.