By MARK MCGEE
mmcgee@bedfordcountypost.com
Whether the City of Shelbyville will hire a Deputy City Manager or authorize a request for the Shelbyville-Bedford County Partnership were both deferred items at the regular September meeting of the Shelbyville City Council.
It has been proposed that the City of Shelbyville hire either a Deputy City Manager for Economic & Community Development or a Tourism and Marketing Director. The consensus among city officials is the Deputy City Manager position would best serve the needs of the council.
The position would pay a minimum of $58,156.20 per year to a maximum of $84,947.20 per year.
According to the job description, the Deputy City Manager would assist City Manager Scott Collins with “day-to-day administrative duties with an emphasis on economic and community development.”
One of the goals for the new position is to create a Shelbyville Main Street Program through the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development.
The new Deputy City Manager would also serve as special projects coordinator for Downtown Development and Revitalization, Streetscape and Gateway projects and redevelopment efforts in blighted areas of the city.
Also included in tourism development for the Deputy City Manager would be the development and implementation of a tourism program for the City of Shelbyville working in partnership with the City of Shelbyville Economic and Community Development Committee, the Mayor and City Council, the Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership as well as other associated entities.
The position would also coordinate and promote the “Whisky, Horses and History” marketing program in conjunction with the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association.
Council members had requested various information from the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership including salaries, and many did not receive the packet even though the information had been supplied. Council members wanted more time to study the information before making a final decision.
In other related tourism and economic development decisions at the meeting:
*A contract modification request from Hawkins & Price LLC on the airport sewer project was approved unanimously. The modification is for additional work requested by the Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewer System at a cost of $58,464 and 32 additional days.
*Also unanimously approved was a proposal for Studio 8 for professional design services for a Riverview Streetscape District not to exceed $14,500. Like the request from the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership, the money would be provided through the Hotel/Motel Fund.
*Mayor Randy Carroll was authorized to send a formal request to Bedford County Mayor Chad Graham to present a proposal to the Bedford County Board of Commissioners for a land donation of the former drive-up bank building to be used as part of the Riverwalk/River Overlook Project.
*A payment of $5,000 was approved for the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association to assist with their multi-day show held at Cooper Steel Arena. The amount will be paid from the Hotel/Motel Funds appropriated for tourism.
