June 2023 Newslink

Church named new Police chief IN THIS EDITION IN THIS EDITION

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On May 23, City Manager Cathy Ball announced that Billy Church was named Johnson City’s newest Police chief.

A 29-year veteran of the Johnson City Police Department, Chief Church was promoted to operations major last June.

“Chief’s experience and character represent what this Police Department means to our community,” Cathy said. “He is trustworthy, proactive, and respects the law and rights of citizens equally. He’s an excellent leader who cares

deeply about this community.”

“This honor is really due to the officers I’ve worked with past and present,” Chief Church said. “My supervisors and mentors have prepared me for leadership roles, and those I serve with today are the reason our department is able to serve our community well. I’m just incredibly grateful to all of them as well as City administration for this opportunity.”

We want to congratulate Chief Church on this new role leading the Johnson City Police Department.

Promotions round out command staff

Johnson City Police Chief Billy Church recently announced promotions within the department.

“The officers promoted lead by example and exemplify the best qualities in the Johnson City Police Department,” said Chief Church. “Their commitment to serving this community is commendable, and I am fortunate to work alongside them.”

Scott Jenkins has been promoted to the rank of deputy police chief. Jenkins is a 27-year veteran of the Police Department and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from East Tennessee State University. Jenkins graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Police Academy and the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy. A former United States Marine, Jenkins has held numerous roles in the department, including platoon watch commander, criminal investigator and captain of the Office of Professional Standards. Additionally, Jenkins has served on the Honor Guard, Recruitment Team, Crime Scene Unit and Bicycle Patrol Unit. Before this promotion, Jenkins was interim major of operations.

Scotty Carrier has been

promoted to administrative major. A 31-year veteran of the Johnson City Police Department, Carrier holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from East Tennessee State University. He is a 2005 graduate of the Northwestern School of Staff and Command, and has completed the Tennessee Law Enforcement Executive Development and Municipal Management Academy. Carrier has served as a public safety officer, field training officer, criminal investigator, sergeant, lieutenant and captain. He has been a member of the department’s Traffic Homicide Team since 2000. Most recently, he served as captain of Platoon 3.

Eric Dougherty has been promoted to operations major. Dougherty is a 30-year veteran of the Police Department and attended ETSU. He completed

his field experience with the JCPD in 1993. Hired by the department that same year, Dougherty has served as a field training officer, a member of the SWAT team and the K9 unit. Additionally he has served as the SWAT team commander as well as sergeant of the K9 unit and the special investigations squad in the Criminal Investigations Division. Dougherty was the lieutenant of Platoon 1 and captain of Platoon 2. Dougherty also served as the special operations supervisor for all of the specialty units of the JCPD. Most recently, he served as captain of the Criminal Investigations Division.

Congratulations to Deputy Chief Jenkins, Maj. Carrier and Maj. Dougherty. We are grateful for your leadership, excellence and commitment to service.

All smiles at 2023 City Employee Luncheon

To culminate Public Service Recognition week, City staff were treated to an Employee Appreciation Luncheon. For a few hours, meetings and city work were set aside in favor of comradery and fellowship.

During the luncheon, Go. All. Out. Awards were presented to City staff who were nominated by their peers for recognition. These employees embody Excellence, Customer Service, Integrity, Teamwork, Engagement and Dedication.

Go. All. Out. Award Winners

Excellence

Teamwork

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Amy Ford

Andea Garland-Gentry

Chris Whitaker

Christie Ward

Cindy Bogart

Craig Cloyd

Debbie Fogle

Dustin Thompson

Hedy Bartley

Engagement

Jason Harshbarger

Jeff Canon

Jolene Stallard

Jon Stacey

Karen O’Brien

Kerry Phipps

Kim Odham

Kirt Stillwagon

Lindsey Jones

Lorena Bennett

Rachel Malone

Randy Campbell

Dedication

Richard Lockner

Robin Miller

Samantha Rivera

Scotty Higgins

Seth Roberts

Shellie Rodifer

Spencer Baumgardner

Steve Broyles

Tina Haney

Tausha Coleman

Tammy Jones

Valerie Harless

Kevin McMillan, Water Sewer

Brittney Eberhardt, Police

Customer Service

Ken Cooper, Transit

Integrity

Lauren Younce, Police

Jason Duncan, Water Sewer

Julia Thomas, IT

City firefighter receives multiple honors

These honors recognize public servants who go above and beyond in their profession achieving excellence through leadership and a dedication to those they serve.

department, he has promoted new assessment standards for firefighter physical conditioning and operational readiness.

On Saturday, June 17, Johnson City Fire Department Driver Engineer Marshall Hardy received the American Legion Firefighter of the Year Award in Murfreesboro, Tenn. This acknowledgment follows the Veterans of Foreign Wars presenting Hardy with the State of Tennessee VFW Firefighter of the Year commendation.

District Chief William Sanders nominated Marshall for the VFW award citing his commitment to firefighting and the community he serves.

“Marshall genuinely cares about the job he does and the people around him. He is always striving to be better for himself and those he serves with,” said Sanders.

Marshall is a six-year veteran of the Johnson City Fire Department. Since joining the

Marshall is a certified aerial operator, pumper operator, fire instructor, and advanced emergency medical technician. Hardy serves outside of the Johnson City Fire Department by volunteering with the West Carter County Volunteer Fire Department.

“It is an honor to be able to work alongside a true servant to the community like Driver Engineer Marshall Hardy,” said Fire Chief David Bell. “Marshall truly demonstrates what it is to be a servant to the community by leading by example.”

Fireworks light up the City

The day’s events begin at 4 p.m. with games for children, a face painter, food and vendors. New this year is a beer garden for festival attendees who are 21 or older.

The 36th Annual Pepsi Independence Day Fireworks Celebration presented by Food City will be held on Monday, July 3 at Freedom Hall Civic Center, 1320 Pactolas Road.

Bands begin at approximately 6 p.m. and continue to 9:15 p.m. Performing for the crowd are George Birge, Matt Stell and Thompson Square.

At 9:20 p.m., door prizes will be announced followed by

The fireworks display begins around 9:45 p.m. with approximately 20 minutes of excitement as the night sky illuminates in a spectacular show of color. The event will conclude around 10:15 p.m.

Arrive early to secure your seat for the show. The fireworks may be delayed for inclement weather.

Mayor Todd Fowler’s welcome message.

June 2023

Fire rookie school produces new graduates

Firefighter Graduates

Marina Arbuckle

Dominique Cross, Squad Performance Award (top squad performance)

Anthony Eddins, Academic Award (highest GPA)

Travis Gray

Alec Johnson

Jorge Munoz Ruiz Dana, 110% Award (class voted most dedicated student)

Derek Onks

Congratulations to the 10 newest graduates of fire rookie school! Between them, they earned accolades including the Academic Award for highest GPA, the 110% award for the most dedicated student, and the Squad Performance Award. We are extremely proud of these future firefighters and are excited to see all the amazing ways they will Go. All. Out. for Johnson City.

Teamwork

Hunter Posner

Austin Shuler

Hunter White, Squad

Performance Award (top squad performance)

“To me, this Henry Ford quote best describes teamwork. ‘If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.’”

Jason Duncan, Water Sewer

Greenlee honored

Herb Greenlee, Carver Recreation Center supervisor, was awarded a Tennessee Senate Resolution by Sen. Rusty Crowe at the Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast held at Carver Recreation Center in January. The resolution honors and commends Herb for his meritorious service to the citizens of Tennessee throughout his 35 years of community service. Herb has been instrumental at Carver Recreation Center and with countless other endeavors including membership on the Johnson City Board of Education and working at the Boys and Girls Club.

As the resolution states, “Herb exemplifies the spirit and allegiance to family and community,” and is a true inspiration to all those he comes in contact with.

Thank you, Herb, for all you do for our community and the Parks and Recreation team.

City employees create a vibrant community

As festival season kicks into high gear, it is important to recognize the people behind the scenes who make these events a success. Festivals are made possible with support from City staff in every department. Some of the ways employees assist include event planning, marketing, set up/ break down, security and sanitation.

City employees work late into the evening and early in the morning to bring successful festivals to the community. This is often additional work

added to a very busy schedule. It is because of your extra contributions that the City is a

more vibrant, livelier place to live. Thank you for your service to the community.

IT Department prioritizes safeguarding data

Soon, many City employees will make the move to Microsoft 365 Cloud. There will be subtle variations in the look and functionality in programs like Excel and Word, but these differences are outweighed by the many benefits.

By opting for Microsoft 365 Cloud, the City embraces the responsibility of safeguarding and backing up data effectively.

To fulfill this requirement, the City chose Cohesity 365 Cloud Backup. With Cohesity, the City benefits from unlimited storage and retention for our Office 365 Cloud Backups.

This backup strategy includes safeguarding crucial components such as email data in Microsoft Exchange Online, user documents and files in Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams Data, and SharePoint data.

Cohesity 365 Cloud Backup empowers us with Point-In-Time recoveries for individual 365 User Accounts, offering unlimited storage and retention per user.

To the right are some compelling reasons why City employees should prioritize Office 365 backup.

Protection against accidental or intentional data deletion.

Safeguarding data from ransomware attacks and other security threats.

Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Preservation of data during migrations or system upgrades.

Ensuring business continuity & minimizing downtime in the event of service outages.

Quick and efficient recovery of lost or corrupted data.

Peace of mind knowing that our valuable data is securely backed up & accessible.

Educational incentives encourage growth

The purpose of the educational incentive program is to prepare employees for future promotional and leadership opportunities within the organization.

A fundamental feature of any incentive program is to encourage and reward

City employees. Pursuit and successful completion of objectives can directly improve an employee’s ability to grow in their current responsibilities. Furthermore, this will increase their skill set for future opportunities.

To learn more about this

Educational Incentive, scan the QR code or email Melanie Rice at mrice@johnsoncitytn.org.

Tips for summer safety

With warmer weather comes longer days on the boat and frequent trips to the pool. With days spent by the water, it is important to remember summer safety tips. Here are a few that the Fire Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency would like for you to remember.

June

2023

Engagement

1

Never swim near a boat, marina or boat launching ramp.

Always use U.S. Coast Guard-approved life safety jackets.

Adults need to stay with children when they are around water.

Keep the pool and deck clear of floats, balls and toys after you get out of the pool.

Always swim with a buddy.

NOTICE NOTICE

Curbside recycling is no longer accepting oil

Oils can be dropped off next to the E-Waste receptacle at 91 New St.

Oils must be in plastic bottles or jugs with screw-top lids and container volume must not exceed one gallon. These regulations apply to both cooking and motor oils.

“The best definition of ‘engagement’ I can give is my dad. My earliest memories are of him dressing as Santa for the kids, teaching swimming lessons in his ‘Moms and Tots’ program, and his selfless service to the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War.

I am so thankful to have had his influence growing up, and I hope to embody his spirit in my life and career.”

Brittney Eberhardt, Police

Get to know...

Name: Juan G. Cardona Santiago

Title: Talent Acquisition & Retention Specialist

Department: Human Resources

Year started with City: March 2023

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.

What were you like in high school?

2. In high school, I was a very quiet person. I loved learning and I used all my time to learn everything I could. I was always reading, everywhere I went I had a book in my hand.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

3. I wanted to be a psychologist because I loved helping people. I was always good at helping people through things and figured that psychology would help me help others.

What movie can you watch over and over again?

4. My favorite movie is August Rush.

What book are you reading right now?

5. I usually read about two books a month. At this time, I am reading Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

What is your favorite sport to watch? To play?

6. I love to watch boxing, and love to play baseball.

7. What do you do when you’re bored? When I am bored, I love to play video games or go hiking with my wife and kids.

8. Who do you consider your hero? I consider my mom as my hero. She was a single mom taking care of seven kids all by herself, but no matter what she was always smiling and doing everything she could to keep us safe and happy. The reason I am the man I am today is because of her.

9. A typical day at work for me starts with reading a resume. I look at every application that comes in via applicant pro and make sure that the applicant qualifies for the job they applied for. Usually, I spend my time in the afternoons at a school or a job fair talking to possible applicants and helping them apply for different positions within the City of Johnson City. In the late afternoon, I usually spend my time working to set up our new onboarding system.

Describe a typical day at work.

10.

Do you have any pets?

I have three dogs, an 11-year-old German Shepherd, a 9-year-old mastiff, and a 2-year-old beagle.

What is the best gift you ever received?

11. My best gifts are my wife and kids. I consider them a gift from God.

12. I think the most difficult part of my job is just getting everyone on the same page during an interview process.

What is the most difficult part of your job?

13. My first job was working in Burger King but my first real job was working in the Navy.

14.

What was your first job?

Describe a perfect Saturday. A perfect Saturday for me would be spending the morning hiking with my wife and kids and coming home to relax, play video games and make a delicious dinner.

15.

Describe your work ethic.

I am a hard worker. I love to keep myself busy so if I run out of things to do I would always ask for more. I love to help my co-workers and love to take on new projects.

Integrity

“Integrity is the quality of being consistently reliable and honest.”

Lauren Younce, Police

New Hires

April

June 2023

LAKESIDE CONCERT SCHEDULE LAKESIDE CONCERT SCHEDULE

Dakota Allen, Police

Paiton Chambers, Finance

Taelyn Henderson, Parks & Recreation

Sarah Nobles, Communications & Marketing

Angelee Page, Parks & Recreation

Houston Smith, Police

Steve Willis, Administration

Recent Promotions

April

Brent Huskins, Fire

Charles Ihle, Fire

David Norman, Water & Sewer

Caleb Russell, Water & Sewer

Andrew Scott, Fire

Kim Shepard, Risk Management

Hunter Wallace, Transit

Excellence

Julia Thomas, IT

Winged Deer Park’s Lakeside Concert Series begins in June. Each concert will include a theme, food trucks, kid zones, and fun for the whole family.

The concerts are from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) at Goulding Amphitheater, 199 Carroll Creek Road.

Thursday, June 29: The Well Drinkers

Thursday, July 6: Blake Ellege Blues

Thursday, July 13: Preston Benfield Band

Thursday, July 20: From the Edge (Fleetwood Mac Tribute)

Thursday, July 27: Marques Puckett & the 8 Second Ride

Weekend of Music, each night from 7-9 p.m.

Thursday, June 22: Florencia & the Feeling Friday, June 23: Hillbilly Jedi Saturday, June 24: Liquid Velvet

“I care about my work and I care about my coworkers. Excellence is how I demonstrate that, by the grace of God and to his glory. If I can meaningfully support a coworker by being excellent in my work, it is a good day!”