Volume 40, Number 9 | We Remember Edition September 2020

Officer Matthew Tipton

Officer Kenny R. Moats swore an oath to protect and serve the people within his town and surrounding community, which he did unwaveringly until August 25th, 2016. At that time, his small town and surrounding community then stood up and gave protection and service to his family, for he had given the ultimate sacrifice that day in the line of duty. The community stood strong and proud as it rose to the aid of Officer Moats’s family, and honored him with a noble farewell.Officer Moats did more than just his sworn duty on any given day. He was a compassionate man who did whatever he could for others, continually putting someone else’s needs before his own. It wasn’t just a job; it was who this man was. He gave from the last dollar in his pocket to his life. (www.officermoatsfoundation.org)

Sunday, August 23, 2020Hundreds of motorcycle riders from all over the country gathered at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson on West Lamar Alexander Blvd. to honor Officer Kenny Moats who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call four years ago. The ride began at 1:56 p.m., a nod to Kenny’s badge number. Riders were led by

several of Kenny’s fellow police officers on motorcycles and in patrol cars. All of the money raised from the ride will go to the Officer Moats Foundation to help families in need. “We’re supporting the foundation to make a difference in the community and surrounding communities, to keep his name going, to keep the things that he did going, because he was so big-hearted and helped so many people.” said Moats’ father Kenneth. (www.wate.com)

MPD Rookie Draws Inspiration from Officer Moats One of the youngest officers in Maryville is 21-year-old Matthew Tipton. He’s been patrolling these streets for almost two years. It is a selfless and sometimes dangerous job he took on because he wanted to help others.“I feel like I can make the best impact on my community through this job because it gives me the most opportunity

to do that,” said Tipton. Officer Tipton went through the academy with more than 50 other rookies also eager to join the force. During his time there in 2016, the Maryville Police Department lost one of their own, Officer Kenny Moats.“Officer Moats wanted to change this community for the better and if we don’t continue that work and try to continue his legacy then we are basically failing him,” Tipton said.“The dangers of this job just kind of strengthened my resolve to keep on going and push through the academy, get on the road and take the bad guys off the streets,” said Tipton.

He admitted there have been a few close calls. He said one happened after they served papers at a home. “I had to go through my brain, oh my gosh, this could get really bad really quick,” he said.It turned out that everyone was OK and he returned to work soon after the incident. He continues to answer the call no matter the risk. “I truly believe this is my calling. This is what I was meant to do,” said Tipton. (www.wate.com)

Kenny Moats Memorial Ride 2020

2

Promotion

Casey RydingElectric

Apprentice Line Technician

Promotion

Chance AndersonEPW

Street Construction Worker

Promotion

Cody WhiteheadW&S

Utility Construction Worker II

Promotion

Kevin WhiteheadEPW

Street Sign & Marking Technician

New Employee

Austin HeadrickMFD

Firefighter/EMT

New Employee

Corey TiptonW&S

Utility Construction Worker I

Applause Please

Flu Shot ClinicFlu shots are 100% covered by the City health plan and will be available September 21! For your convenience, flu shots will be administered by Kroger Pharmacy to employees and spouses on

Tuesday, October 13th, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Maryville Municipal Center – Gary Hensley Room

Wednesday, October 14th, 7:30 – 11:00 a.m. at the Maryville Operations Center Auditorium

No appointment is necessary, but please have your insurance ID with you. We will be practicing Social Distancing and masks will be required! Many local pharmacies and doctor’s offices (including East Tennessee Medical Group) will be offering flu shots; most will file insurance. It is projected that due to increased demand, there may be a shortage of available vaccines this fall. It may be wise to get your shot early! Check with HR for more information in mid-September. MetaClinic will also provide other vaccinations such as Pneumonia and Shingles at no cost, anytime (call ahead to confirm it’s on hand).

A Flu Shot is More Important than Ever this Year“People who can avoid the flu will help reduce the burden on a U.S. health care system already overwhelmed by COVID-19,” said Mark Thompson, an epidemiologist in the Influenza Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Emergency rooms and urgent care clinics are already overwhelmed with flu patients during winter months. Getting a flu shot can keep you from getting sick and prevent you from co-mingling flu patients with COVID-19 patients, who can infect each other and spread their viruses to other patients. (ohsonline.com)

Important Reminder from HRVacation leave hours over your allowed maximum carry-over are forfeited if not used by December 31, each year.Your Vacation Leave Balance is listed on your pay stub. The balance includes all vacation hours taken up to the last day in the pay period and the bi-weekly accrual.

Estimate your vacation balance as of Jan. 1, 2021 by following the steps below.

1.) Retrieve your pay stub for Sept. 3, 2020 from the Employee Portal.2.) Multiply your Bi-Weekly Accrual hours by 8 (remaining pay periods in 2020). 3.) Add your current balance to the number of hours in step 2.

These are your projected vacation hours through 12/31/2020. Subtract any used vacation time taken after 8/28/2020. Hours over your maximum carry-over should be used on or before December 31, 2020.Refer to the chart below for your Maximum Allowed Carry-over hours for January 1, 2021.

USE IT - DON’T LOSE IT!Vacation time that exceeds the maximum allowed carry-over

will be forfeited.

3

People are the Key

40 years Joe Bogart, Finance

40 years Paul Gilley, W&S

40 years Kent Roberts, Electric

35 years Todd Burchett, W&S

35 years Mike Davis, W&S

35 years Joe Hartline, W&S

35 years Scott Poland, Dev. Services

30 years Greg Cooke, MPD

30 years Eric Holder, W&S

30 years Sharon Moore, MPD

30 years Doug Short, Electric

30 years Gary Walker, Dev. Services

25 years Tony Clark, MFD

25 years Charlie Martinez, MFD

25 years Rusty Thompson, Dev. Services

25 years Jimmy Yearout, Electric

20 years Daniel Atkins, W&S

20 years Rod Fernandez, MPD

20 years Randell Moore, MFD

20 years Shaun O’Neal, MPD

Power Outage on Sunday EveningOn Sunday, August 23, City of Maryville Electric Department reported a power outage in the Morganton Road area. A pole was damaged around 5 p.m. The outage affected 1800 customers. Due to the pole replacement requirement, locates, reset and reconnect, power restoration would take several hours. Crews expected to finish the work around 10 p.m., however it was almost 11 p.m. before they were able to call it a day.

Appreciation for the CrewsCristy West received a call in Customer Service from a citizen who lives on Spring Creek Street. He was part of the huge power outage on Sunday August 23 on Morganton Road. He called to thank the

20 years Wendy Phillips, W&S

20 years Debbie Yarnell, Dev. Services

15 years Brian Boone, EPW

15 years Ray Boswell, Administration

15 years Jamie Dyer, W&S

15 years Daniel Fipps, MFD

15 years Mike Hicks, MPD

15 years Ron Nugent, EPW

15 years Andrew Puckett, MFD

15 years Jill Ridings, Finance

15 years Sandy Rinicker, MFD

10 years Michael Alexander, EPW

5 years Justin Brown, MPD

5 years Leslie Crawford, Administration

5 years Chase Green, EPW

5 years Clayton Hall, MPD

5 years Travis Hill, MPD

5 years Matt LaFon, EPW

5 years Jordan Marshall, EPW

5 years Brian Smith, W&S

crews for working so hard and so fast to get the power back on. He bragged on how they were working out in the scorching heat and how happy he was that his power was back on before midnight.

Service Awards Honor Dedicated EmployeesOn Tuesday, August 25, 2020 several employees were honored for their years of service to the City with a “Pandemic Style” banquet. Forced to social distance to help keep everyone safe as we semi-gathered this year, changed the look of the event, but not the sentiment. Greg was on hand to personally thank the employees listed below for their loyalty and longevity. Congratulations to all!

Special Thanks from a CitizenTo the City Manager, Council and those who drive the big trucks: It’s Wednesday, my green canister on wheels was just picked up by the big city truck and right behind that my brush waved bye on another big truck! Thank you! So happy to be a resident of Maryville and it’s leadership! When Ernie and I lived in Brentwood I learned quickly how the city and the police department compare their departments to Maryville! I never missed a chance to brag! Thank you and praise also from the General Assembly. They also admire Maryville and Blount County. Compliments abound so keep doing your great job of leading us and caring for all of us! -Pat Blankenship

4

People are the Key

September Birthdays September AnniversariesJohn Wilson, Electric 39 years

Mike Davis, W&S 35 years

Hank Woods, Electric 34 years

Missi Fields, Finance 32 years

Rachael Allmon, Pub. Services 24 years

Rob Woods, MFD 24 years

John Foley, MPD 22 years

Tim Green, EPW 19 years

Tim Lane, EPW 19 years

David England, W&S 18 years

Cristy West, Finance 18 years

Doyle Prince, W&S 18 years

Tony Crisp, MPD 18 years

Ronnie Irwin, EPW 17 years

Scott Spicer, MPD 17 years

Todd Hall, W&S 14 years

William Pedigo, EPW 13 years

Charles Mims, Finance 13 years

John Hudgens, Electric 12 years

John Roberson, EPW 6 years

Jana Brown, W&S 4 years

Josh Richards, MFD 2 years

Brad Weeks, EPW 2 years

Stephen Jordan, EPW 1 year

Jessica Mason, Finance 1 year

Nicholas Crawford, MPD 1 year

1 Chris Hamrick, W&S

3 Tommy Cooper, Electric

4 John Hudgens, Electric

6 Teresa Rucker, Finance

8 Shaun O’Neal, MPD Austin Green, MPD Jennifer Cunningham, MPD James Long, MPD

9 Dale Jayne, EPW Reid Walker, MPD

10 Danny Atkins, W&S

12 Cody Burchfield, EPW Tyler Breazeale, EPW

13 Bill Walt, Electric

14 Shane Myers, W&S Kyler Love, EPW

15 Jordan Isbell, MPD

17 David McCarter, Electric Teresa Martin, Finance Johnny Garner, EPW

18 Kyle Newman, EPW

19 Brad Weeks, EPW Danny Kimsey, W&S Rachael Allmon, Pub. Services

20 Todd Burchett, W&S

21 Wyatt Snow, EPW Christopher Tuck, MPD Rusty Thompson, Dev. Services Justin Brown, MPD

23 Steven Talbott, MFD

24 Sam Newport, Electric Clay Cope, EPW

25 Jason Pesterfield, MPD

26 Adam Parton, W&S Andrew Puckett, MFD

27 Kevin Roulette, Electric Amy Woody, Electric

28 Carlos Hess, MPD

29 Clayton Hall, MPD Mark Wheeler, Electric Mark Huffstetler, Finance

30 Sherri Phillips, Finance

Happy Birthday Y’all!