News
LIFT Wellness Center Video Tour
The Lift Center will have an Open House on January 27 for the public to see the new facility.
Brandy Eason guides this video tour of the new Lift Center.
December Unempolyment Rates- Numbers Go Up Across the State
DECEMBER 2012 COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
NASHVILLE – County unemployment rates for December 2012, released today, show the rate decreased in two counties and increased in 93 primarily due to normal seasonal employment declines. County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted and reflect seasonal employment changes from month to month. Specific county information is available on the Internet; enter http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/LaborDec12.pdf.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for December remained constant from the November revised rate of 7.6 percent. The national unemployment rate for December 2012 was 7.8 percent, also unchanged from the previous month.
The state unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.
Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate of 5.7 percent, up from 5.2 percent in November. Davidson County was 6.2 percent, up from 5.7 percent. Hamilton County was 7.2 percent, up from 6.4 percent, and Shelby County was 8.7 percent, up from 7.8 percent in November.
JEA Plans Improvements At January Board Meeting
The JEA board met on January 24 and they are making several improvements to their services, including some for their industrial customers. The board also bid Vicky Wright a fond farewell. The corporate secretary is retiring on January 31 after 35 years of service.
The board approved a motion to purchase property on Flex Drive for $125,000. They will place an industrial substation on this property. The closeness of this substation to many of their industrial customers mean that it minimizes risk factors like lightning strikes and provides a reliable source feed.
After construction, there may be extra space to sell to companies looking to expand and meet their green space criteria.
Next, the board approved for the construction of a transmission line from Muse to Lambuth and tree trimming along that route. Standard Electric is constructing the line.
The mayor is on board with the tree-trimming plan and property owners have not expressed any major kickback. JEA agreed to plant some power line friendly trees. Asplundh Tree Expert Company is handling the trees.
The board also passed the installation of self-supporting poles. These allow the poles to carry heavier lines. The installation requires drilling a deep hole into the ground and filling it with high stress concrete and a rebar cage construction.
The board approved the purchase of gas well punch tees and the construction of a compressed natural gas fueling station. They also adopted the 15th edition of the APPA Safety Manual. It includes some changes like prohibiting the use of cell phones in the bucket truck and putting on the electric safety gloves before you leave the ground and only removing them when you return to the ground.
Jackson Madison County Library Board of Trustees Meeting January 23
The Jackson Madison County Library Board met today, January 23.
Dinah Harris was present. She is the new director of the Jackson Madison County library.
A link to the survey can be found here.
In this meeting, the board discussed their new self checkout machine which is not operatioinal at the moment, but they are arranging to get that resolved.
The board also passed a motion to not purchase anymore books from their current provider in order to have a clean break from LSSI, but new books will be ordered using local money.
Self-Service Kiosks Installed Across State For Faster Driver License Renewals
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY INSTALLS SELF-SERVICE KIOSKS ACROSS TENNESSEE FOR FASTER DRIVER LICENSE RENEWALS
Several kiosks located across Shelby County, including the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
MEMPHIS --- The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security has added another option for citizens seeking to renew or replace non-commercial driver licenses. Commissioner Bill Gibbons announced Tuesday that the Driver Services Division has installed 30 self-service driver license kiosks at various locations across Tennessee.
Citizens may renew or replace an existing driver license or state identification card and pay for the transaction with a credit or debit card at the kiosks. The technology takes the citizen’s photograph for use on the driver license. As a security measure, the kiosks perform facial verification with the image on record. The citizen leaves the kiosk with a paper interim document for use until the secure driver license or ID card is received. The interim license is valid for 20 days. The secure driver license or ID card is mailed to the applicant’s home within 5-7 business days.
Six of the self-service kiosks are located in Shelby County, including one at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Other locations in west Tennessee include Dyer and Lauderdale Counties.
“We are giving citizens another choice when it comes time to renew or replace their driver licenses. Many of the kiosks are located at alternate locations, redirecting traffic from our driver service centers and freeing up the staff there for more complicated transactions. Our ultimate goals are better customer service and reducing the average wait time in driver service centers to no more than 20 minutes,” Gibbons said.
A total of 40 self-service kiosks are scheduled to be installed and operating statewide by the end of February. The kiosks are primarily located in urban areas with larger populations. The department has partnered with various local governments and several AAA branches to provide alternate locations for the kiosks, providing more sites to complete simple renewal and duplicate services. While the majority of kiosks are installed at alternate locations, some have been installed initially at various driver service centers.
While the addition of self-service kiosks is one of several new options to improve wait times and enhance customer service, the department is also taking many steps to ensure higher security in driver license issuance. In the coming months, the department will begin using a central issuance process, in which driver licenses will be mailed from a central, secure location to the citizen’s home. Also, the department will soon use image verification technology to help reduce fraudulent issuance of driver licenses and cut down on identity crimes cases.
The state first purchased three kiosks to use on a pilot basis using federal grant funds for a total of $165,000. The remaining 37 kiosks were purchased for $45,000 each, a total of $1,665,000, using state system development funds. The state contracted with MorphoTrust to supply the kiosks.
Driver Services’ self-service kiosks are in use in west Tennessee at the following locations:
SHELBY COUNTY
- Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis
- Memphis Police Department Appling Farms Station, 6850 Appling Farms Parkway, Memphis
- Shelby County Clerk’s Office, 1075 Mullins Station, Suite W-103, Memphis
- East Shelby Drive Driver Service Center, 3200 East Shelby Drive, Memphis
- Summer Avenue Driver Service Center, 6340 Summer Avenue, Memphis
- Germantown City Hall, 1930 South Germantown Road, Germantown
DYER COUNTY
- Dyer County Clerk’s Office, 115 West Market Street, Dyersburg
LAUDERDALE COUNTY
- Lauderdale County Justice Center, 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley
A complete list of all self-service kiosk locations can be found on http://www.tn.gov/safety/dlmain.shtml.