September 12, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
After a 34-year association with the City of Smithville, Janice Plemmons-Jackson is stepping down as its Certified Municipal Financial Officer.
During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, she was presented an award from Mayor Josh Miller on behalf of himself and the Aldermen in recognition of her three decades of service.
In presenting the award, Mayor Miller read the message imprinted on it.
“There are not enough words to express the appreciation for your 30 plus years of dedicated service to the City of Smithville. You went far above and beyond the duties as a CMFO. Not only were you an employee, but you were also a friend to us all. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to the City of Smithville.”
“It has been a pleasure and an honor to have worked with all of you. We have spent a lot of time together through the years and I have loved that you all have worked together and have had the best ideas for what is good for the city and that has made my job easy, and I appreciate that. I couldn’t have done this with just anybody, but you have been great to work with and I thank you very much”, said Plemmons-Jackson.
Although she will continue in her role until the end of the month, Monday night was her last official meeting with the Mayor and Aldermen.
“This is her last meeting tonight,” said Mayor Miller. “I really can’t say enough good things about her. When I came on the city council in 2013, I got to know Janice and have gotten to know her better since I have been the mayor. I hadn’t always agreed with her on everything, but I definitely value her opinion. Before we usually do a project, I will at least go to her and get her opinion financially on that and we have done a lot of projects in the last few years and done well. I thank the board for that as well as Janice. Cash flow has gone up and I credit Janice and the board for that. Ben Guffey will be taking Janice’s place, and I am proud of what he is already doing,” said Mayor Miller
While she is stepping down as the city’s CMFO, Janice said she will continue her own full time CPA practice, Plemmons-Jackson & Cabinas PLLC in Crossville where she resides and be available for some occasional consultation to the city on a limited basis if needed.
WJLE will feature Plemmons-Jackson in a more indepth story about her career in a later post.
In other business, the aldermen approved three rezoning requests, budget amendments, and reappointed Walter Burton to a new four term on the Smithville Electric System Board of Directors. The vote on Burton was 4-1. Alderman Danny Washer voted no.
Second and final reading action was taken following a public hearing on an ordinance to rezone property located on Miller Road near Foster Road from R-1 (Low Density Residential) to R-2 (High Density Residential).
The Smithville Planning Commission met on August 14 and voted to recommend approval of the rezoning request to the Mayor and Aldermen.
Plans are to develop residential housing on the property.
The aldermen also adopted on second and final reading following a public hearing another rezoning ordinance. This property (two parcels) is located on Short Mountain Highway near Bill Page Ball Park. The owner wants the site rezoned from R-1 (Low Density Residential) to C-1 (Commercial) for the intended purpose of a laundry mat.
The planning commission also recently voted to recommend the rezoning of this property.
The aldermen further adopted on second and final reading following a public hearing an ordinance as recommended by the city planning commission to rezone 600 & 602 Estes Street belonging to Dan Boyd from R-1 (low density) to R-2 (high density) residential.
In other business, the aldermen approved on second and final reading a budget amendment ordinance to make corrections from earlier calculations for municipal revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30,2024 and for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2023.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Miller took a moment to remember 9/11.
“It is September 11 and we know that 22 years ago the world was in chaos. There was a lot of devastation. We honor the ones who put their lives in danger for us, our police officers, firemen, paramedics, EMS, 911 communications, there are just so many people that do so much for us and we are grateful to them. Of course, today we also remember the lives of the almost 3,000 who were lost,” said Mayor Miller.