Smith County Launches “Connecting Communities” Initiative

TYLER — A new initiative called “Connecting Communities” was announced at the most recent meeting of the Smith County Commissioners Court. Noting that Smith County and the 11 cities within its boundaries represent and service the same citizens, County Judge Nathaniel Moran says it’s important they work together and have close ties and communication. During the meeting, Moran discussed his new initiative, in which the cities will be periodically highlighted during Commissioners Court over the next year. The municipalities are Tyler, Lindale, Whitehouse, Arp, Troup, Bullard, Winona, New Chapel Hill, Noonday, Overton, and Hideaway.

City leaders will be invited to Commissioners Court to be recognized and give presentations about their cities, as well as provide information about the state of each city and future plans. The Mayor of Noonday, Mike Turman, has been invited to attend Commissioners Court for the first “Connecting Communities” presentation April 18. Moran said he wants to build awareness about each city and its leaders, celebrate the cities’ achievements, and increase communication and cooperation among local governments to better serve Smith County residents. Moran says he and the commissioners “thought April — County Government Month — would be a perfect time to roll out this new initiative.”

“Connecting Communities” is part of a larger initiative to engage in “County Conversations” over the next several months so that Commissioners Court can hear from all constituents, civic leaders, businesses, nonprofit groups and others. Moran says he believes it is a good time to have these conversations as the county enters into budget season for fiscal year 2018. Moran has been speaking about county government to various organizations throughout the county for the past several months. His talks have included how county government differs from municipalities and what the county can and can’t do.