Mayor Creates Veterans Roundtable
Posted/updated on: May 12, 2011 at 12:21 pm
TYLER — The Tyler City Council heard a presentation Wednesday about the formation of a Veterans Roundtable appointed by Mayor Barbara Bass. Tyler has a long history of strong support for our nations veterans, said Mayor Bass. To continue to grow this tradition and to serve as a model to other communities, I am appointing a Mayors Veterans Roundtable with Mayor Pro Tem Ralph Caraway to serve as the Council liaison.” Officials say the intent of the Roundtable is to develop and implement a Community Blueprint for supporting and enhancing Veterans services in the community as well as positively impacting the local economy. The focus of the Roundtable will be on employment, education, housing, medical care and mental health.
Smith County is home to nearly 18,000 veterans and will soon welcome a Super Armory as well as the innovative Texas Veterans Home opening this fall. The economic impact of veterans to the Smith County economy is estimated to be $60.8 million annually. There is universal support for our warriors and families, and nonprofit services have grown and improved in Tyler and in communities across America, added Mayor Bass. Still there remain significant gaps that can only be filled by more focused planning and coordination.
Officials say the Blueprint that will be created by the Veterans Roundtable will work to address these gaps in a way that is specific to the Tyler community. According to press materials, the goal is to provide a forum to learn and share best practices and to bring key stakeholders together to collaborate in assisting those who have served our country. Members of the Veterans Roundtable will be announced at an event on May 17 at 10 a.m. at the Rose Garden Center. Representatives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Military Officers of America, and Community Blueprint Leaders will be visiting Tyler as part of the announcement that Tyler will be a pilot community for the Blueprint program.
