Millersville is located on the boundaries of Sumner and Robertson Counties, far from the county seats of each.  At the time of incorporation, the area was sparsely populated and received little attention from the county governments.  There were no paved county roads in the Millersville area.  The three bridges located within the original area of incorporation were sub-standard.  All three bridges were condemned by the Tennessee Department of Transportation within eight years of the city's date of incorporation.  Sewer was unavailable to the area and the majority of septic systems within the area were defective, resulting in contamination of ground water and streams.  The only fire protection available was the Sumner County Volunteer Fire Department.  Fire insurance for residents was expensive, when available, due to the area's Class 10 rating by the Insurance Services Organization.  Police protection was provided by the respective counties.  However, response time was generally excessive due to the manpower available and travel distances involved.  Inspection of construction and enforcement of county zoning laws was practically nonexistent, as evidenced by the patchwork mixture of residential and commercial areas, as well as the various types of intermingled construction within the city and surrounding areas.

When the city incorporated, it adopted the City Manager-Commission form of government pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 6-18-101 et seq.  The first Board of Commissioners, consisting of three members, was elected in June, 1981, and assumed office in July, 1981.

The Commission quickly established police and fire departments and enacted a comprehensive zoning ordinance with the assistance of the Tennessee State Planning Office.  One of the first public works undertaken was the replacement of the bridge at Williamson Road and Slaters Creek Road.

The City's first budget had less than $90,000 available for operation of the city government.  With the help of dedicated volunteers and assistance from neighboring cities and Sumner County, Millersville was able to equip and man the police and fire departments.  State shared taxes which had been going to the county were now paid directly to the City of Millersville.

Since its inception, Millersville has aggressively pursued grant funds to develop and improve its superstructure.  Grants and low interest loans were acquired for the construction.  With the proceeds of a bond issue, the city initiated an extensive street paving project in 1989 and paved all of the primary roads within the city.  Also in 1989, the city constructed its new City Hall funded primarily by a second bond issue.