Des Moines City Government Is Losing 113 Years of Institutional Knowledge

Des Moines, Iowa Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock.com

By Michael Grass,
Executive Editor

Connecting state and local government leaders

By Michael Grass

| September 22, 2014

But local officials have filled one key City Hall vacancy.

Facing the departures of a city manager, police chief and public works director with 113 years of combined institutional knowledge, local officials in Iowa’s capital city filled one major vacancy last week.

Des Moines City Council members on Thursday named Assistant City Manager Scott Sanders as city manager, picking an internal candidate after they decided not to hire any of the applicants who were under consideration following a national search this summer.

As The Des Moines Register pointed out earlier this month, the city government has some other near-term personnel challenges, too:

In addition, the jobs of head engineer and finance director are held by interim workers and will most likely require new hires as well.

"There's a potential for five open positions by the end of the year," said City Councilman Skip Moore, adding that he expected another department supervisor to announce 2014 retirement plans yet this year.

The administrative void is an unfortunate loss but offers the new city manager a chance to make a bigger impact immediately, council members and local experts on public administration said.

"It is a great opportunity to really choose part of the team," Sanders told the Register.

In an interview with KCCI-TV, Sanders, who was recently elevated to assistant city manager after serving as finance director, said the city is in good shape, but there’s a lot of work to be done.

“We are on the right path but it’s going to take a lot of work and dedication to keep us on that successful path,” he said.

But Des Moines has some budgetary challenges, including a revenue shortfall that is prompting Sanders to pursue “creative” revenue sources to avoid any potential layoffs, he told KCCI. He also hopes to collaborate more with the city’s suburban neighbors, perhaps on services like animal control.

(Image via Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock.com)

NEXT STORY: GovExec State & Local IT Security and Resiliency Webcast, Sept. 25

This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. / Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Accept Cookies