Happy New Fiscal Year!

This past fiscal year marked 45 years of Public Entity Partners. Although it was an exciting year with many positive changes, we are even more excited about what's ahead!

I wanted to take a moment to share a few highlights from our recent Board meeting. The Board voted on the nominee(s) to include on the ballot at the Insured Organization Meeting on October 2 in Franklin, which includes the reappointment of the two eligible board members: Todd Smith, city administrator for the Town of Greeneville, and Brian Stover, mayor of Town of Thompson’s Station.

We were thrilled to see 10 outstanding and very well-qualified applicants for our open Board seats. The Board voted to select Mayor Warren Gooch of the City of Oak Ridge and Blake Walley, City Manager of the City of Savannah, as the nominees for the remaining two seats.

For the first time, member entities will vote to confirm open seats on our Board of Directors — a major step toward increased transparency and member engagement.

We encourage every member to attend the member confirmation vote at our Symposium on Oct. 2 during the luncheon.

While their appointments continue through September, we do want to thank our Chairperson, Mayor Randy Brundige of the City of Martin, and Mayor Lois Preece of the Town of Niota, for their years of service to this Board and the citizens it serves.

Looking ahead, the 85th annual Tennessee Municipal League Annual Conference will be held in Chattanooga Aug. 2-5. This year’s annual conference will be extra special for me as it marks the 40th TML Conference in which I participated. The first TML Conference in which I was involved was held in 1984, also in Chattanooga! The TML Annual Conference is always a highlight for the year, providing the best in municipal government education, engagement with essential vendors for cities and towns, and amazing networking with our colleagues across the state. As always, Public Entity Partners will hold our PEP Rally, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Longtime members know that with Public Entity Partners, you’re not just buying insurance, you’re participating in a comprehensive risk management program that supports you every step of the way. We actively work with our members to mitigate risks, promote safety cultures and reduce losses through innovative risk management strategies. 

Thank you for your trust and partnership, and thank you for all that you do for our communities. Here’s to a fresh start and a wonderful new fiscal year!