The Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) was established in 1949 to assist city governments across Tennessee. At that time, cities faced growing pressures from local residents to address the challenges of urban living, all while working with a constrained state budget. As populations increased, so did the complexity and cost of providing essential services like health and welfare, fire and police protection, traffic management, parking and public schools.
Before World War II, the Tennessee Municipal League had been formed to support city governments, but its operations were suspended during the war. Once it resumed activities after the war, city officials recognized their shared challenges and the need for a specialized technical advisory service. While it could advocate for cities, it lacked the capacity to implement meaningful changes, and state agencies were unable to offer the specialized expertise cities required. A centralized agency was necessary to fill this gap.
In response, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Public Act Chapter 261 in 1949, formally establishing MTAS as a state government agency with an annual budget of $70,000. This financial structure allowed city governments to have a direct role in funding and shaping the service.
MTAS leadership decided to place the agency within the University of Tennessee’s Division of Extension. An advisory council was formed to guide MTAS’s efforts, providing technical assistance and access to faculty from the colleges of law, engineering, business administration and liberal arts. The council would steer major policy decisions, approve budgets and hold the director accountable.
MTAS officially began operations on July 1, 1949, with the appointment of its first executive director, Gerald W. Shaw (Knoxville ’46). He had served as a city manager in Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority in the Government Research Staff, Regional Studies Division.
Today, MTAS operates as part of the Institute for Public Service within the University of Tennessee System. Much like its original mission, MTAS continues to provide technical assistance to Tennessee’s city governments, offering support in areas such as finance and accounting, human resources, legal services, public safety, public utilities and public works. The agency’s staff has grown to include over 52 consultants, ensuring that cities across Tennessee have access to the expertise and resources they need to address local challenges.
MTAS provides resources for public servants throughout the state, helping Tennessee’s cities thrive and meet the needs of all their residents.
From the Archives
The University of Tennessee System is proud of its professors who have contributed to the future of Tennessee and beyond.
The Winter 1988 issue highlighted professors across the UT System, including the National Alumni Association’s 1987 Outstanding Teachers, two distinguished educators and researchers at the UT Health Science Center, retired agricultural professors who continue to inspire and educate, UT Knoxville engineering faculty, and a forum featuring seven UT System graduates and professors.
Our Tennessee was published as the Tennessee Alumnus from 1917 to 2020. Scanned archives of past issues of the magazine can be accessed online through UT Knoxville’s Digital Collections Library.
