townview: Alderman Scott Meyer

Town goals outlined by ‘newest elected alderman’

As your newest elected alderman, I’m grateful for the privilege of serving our hometown. I would like to introduce myself and highlight a few of my goals.

I grew up in Indiana and received an undergraduate degree in English Education from Ball State University. After a brief stint teaching high school English and Speech classes, I earned a Master of Healthcare Administration from Indiana University and eventually a Master of Accountancy from the University of Tennessee. With all these degrees and my CPA license, I like to joke that I can complete folks’ 1040s, run their hospital or teach their children “Romeo and Juliet.”

I’m currently employed as an executive director at one of the largest medical groups in Tennessee. I’ve worked in executive positions at two for-profit healthcare companies as well as management positions at Yale University School of Medicine, regional health systems and regional accounting firms.

In 2000 I met my wife, Melissa, while leading a young adult ministry at Fellowship Church. During this time, we led the church’s first mission trip to an orphanage and battered women’s shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. We’re humbled that since our first trip in 2001, Fellowship Church has consistently sent multiple mission teams to aid these Tijuana ministries every year for the past 18 years.

Melissa graduated from Farragut High School in 1989 and UT Medical School in 1997. She’s practiced pediatric medicine for 19 years. We’re blessed with two beautiful daughters, Emma, 14, and Sophie, 11, and our Maltese, Zoey. Our girls attend Concord Christian School and are avid volleyball players.

I have the following goals for Farragut:

1) Union Road improvement design: Vice Mayor Louise Povlin and I will host Town Hall meetings in which residents can review and comment on design options. Resident feedback will be the basis of the final design, which I hope to see approved in 2019.

2) Hall Tax phase-out action plan: The Hall Tax will be completely phased out by 2021 resulting in a $1 million or 10 percent decrease in Town revenues. I’ve requested BOMA develop a plan to compensate for this significant revenue decrease without terminating any current Town services. Sports tourism, such as national sporting events (maybe volleyball), should be one of the action items described in the plan.

3) Vehicle speed control: Town studies report average vehicle speed to be 15 miles per hour greater than posted speed limits. I’ve proposed a Vehicle Speed Control Committee (consisting of residents, Town staff and BOMA members) be formed to study and present solutions to BOMA by the end of 2019.

4) Town center: A town center will serve as a civic center for residents and draw in visitors. I would like to see a Town Center Master Plan published for resident review by the end of 2020.

In closing, the Founders of the Town of Farragut held certain virtues to be true: innovation, self-reliance, fiscal conservatism, teamwork, community — and above all, God and family.

These virtues are the foundation on which we build award-winning private and public schools, beautiful parks and greenways, common sense zoning ordinances, exceptional Town services and Farragut’s future. Melissa and I will always consider Farragut our hometown because of these virtues and the Farragut residents who daily demonstrate them to us.

Thank you again for the absolute privilege of serving our amazing hometown.

Farragut’s brightest days lie ahead, and I look forward to the many successes we are going to achieve together.