Goodlettsville launches Project '072 to improve city operations, services

By KATE COIL

TT&C Assistant Editor

Utilizing community feedback and participation to improve city services and programs is the goal of a new initiative by the city of Goodlettsville. 

Dubbed Project ‘072 after the city’s zip code, the new initiative is “designed to elevate our community from good to truly exceptional" and was unanimously supported by the city’s Board of Commissioners. Goodlettsville City Manager Tim Ellis said the initiative is motivated by the desire to enhance what the city offers based on community input.  

“By evaluating and enhancing services, programs, and community engagement, this project will make a lasting impact on the Goodlettsville community,” Ellis said. “Project ‘072 has or will engage elected officials, staff, residents and businesses in achieving each goal.  The project includes 12 specific groups of improvements, as well as 50 sub-groups.  Each subgroup has an assigned intradepartmental working teams to lead and achieve the specific subgroup is achieved.” 

 Ellis said city staff and members of the Goodlettsville Board of Commission worked together to identify the 12 key areas of community improvement the project will address, which include: 

• Education
• Communications
• Parks, Recreation, and Public Facilities
• Arts and Culture
• Public Safety
• Customer Service
• Public Engagement
• Economic Development and Tourism
• Government Efficiency
• Community Identity
• Community Development
• Community Engagement and Volunteerism 

Each of the 12 intradepartmental teams working on the project has four to five members working on the goals of that item. Subgoals on major components of the plan range from creating community education programs on health and personal finance to developing new parks to streetscape enhancements to overviews of city zoning and design guidelines to streaming municipal meetings and even painting a new mural in the city each year. 

As a result, Ellis said staff members will have specific responsibilities to ensure those goals are maintained. 

"The goal in creating the 50 subgroups was to identify items that would transform our city in a manner that would have both long-term and short-term impacts,” Ellis said. “In determining the primary work groups, we identified the primary areas of service and areas of weakness and from there the list of 50 goals were created that collaboratively we felt would make a major impact on our community.” 

As part of the overview, the city has also restructured several departments to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of city services for residents and businesses. The city’s parks and recreation and public works departments have been combined into a single Department of Public Services while the city’s wastewater division has been made into its own department.  

Ellis said the initiative is also launching both new programs as well as reviving old ones that have fallen by the wayside.  

“There will be numerous new programs that have been created as a result of Project ‘072 such as accreditation from Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence, expanded use of the CRM Program (City Fix), adopt-a-landscaped area, and monthly community education programs to mention just a few,” Ellis said. “Then there are programs such as the City Ambassador, youth council, CPR training programs that are being resurrected, for they were suspended during COVID epidemic or for other reasons and had never restarted.” 

One such new program is an art exhibit space in Goodlettsville City Hall to promote local artists. The first exhibit was unveiled July 7, 2025, and will feature regularly rotating exhibits as a way of both promoting the arts and fostering community engagement. The program coordinator, Maggie Howard, is presently serving as a summer intern for the city. 

“We are excited to open city hall to the arts, and we hope this will be the first of many opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy and celebrate local creativity,” Howard said.  

Ongoing community engagement and collaboration are key to the project as it moves forward. Ellis said working together will benefit city employees as much as it benefits the community at large.  

“Community engagement is the lifeblood for any thriving municipality,” Ellis said. “Programs such as Project ‘072 encourages and offers the opportunity for collaboration between residents, elected officials, other organizations, and city staff.  Project ‘072 assists in creating a shared sense of purpose and strengthens community bond between all stakeholders. The residents will first and foremost see an enhanced level of services provided to them. They will also take a more engaged approach to receiving these improvements for, in many ways, the citizens themselves were a part of the process in which made Project ‘072 successful.” 

When the program ends in 12 months, Ellis said city officials look forward to seeing what Goodlettsville has achieved. 

 “The city of Goodlettsville and its employees are simply wanting to provide the greatest services possible to our citizens and businesses, and if Project ‘072 assists in achieving this goal it is well worth the time an effort in carrying it forward to fruition,” Ellis said.