(MURFREESBORO) Mayor Shane McFarland honored City employee Richard Johnson as the September STARS Award recipient during the Thursday night (10/19/23) City Council Meeting. Johnson is a water resource equipment operatorn employee with the Water Resources Department. He is being honored because of the quick action that he took to extinguish a burning vehicle on Sept. 14, 2023. 

City employee Todd Adams explained what happened, "Richard was driving his dump truck along John Bragg Highway, when he noticed a burning vehicle on the side of the road. The driver flagged Mr. Johnson down. He jumped out of the dump truck, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and started spraying all around the vehicle. Unknowingly, Mr. Johnson’s prompt response likely prevented injuries and additional damage to the person’s vehicle.”

By the way, Richard Johnson was hired by the Murfreesboro  Water Resources Department in April 2022. He serves as a Water Resource Equipment Operator.

STARS stands for “Succeeding Through Attitudes Reflecting Service Excellence.” STARS are examples of representing the City in a positive light, exhibiting the core values, and creating a better quality of life for citizens.

The STARS Service Excellence program recognizes outstanding employees who embody the city’s standards for service excellence and exemplify the city’s core service values. The purpose of the STARS award is to recognize and reward those employees who go beyond their normal job duties in providing outstanding customer service to internal and external customers. The STARS nominations are reviewed each month by a STARS committee consisting of City employees who then vote for the nominees.