Washington is moving forward with plans to create a deputy city administrator position.
Changes to the ordinance that outlines the appointment and roles of the deputy city administrator were approved unanimously Monday by the Washington City Council. Alderperson Bobby Martin III suggested the revisions.
The revised ordinance will be discussed next Monday at the council's monthly committee of the whole meeting. A vote on the ordinance is expected to take place Oct. 20.
The “slight changes” to the ordinance proposed by Martin include:
• Having the deputy city administrator report solely to the city administrator and not the city administrator and mayor.
• Removing the presumption that the deputy city administrator will become the city administrator if there's a vacancy.
• Clarifying that the deputy city administrator will serve until the end of the mayor's term, or when someone else is appointed by a subsequent mayor.
Under the ordinance, only city department heads can apply to be the deputy city administrator, which requires additional duties and training. The mayor will appoint the deputy city administrator, with the approval of the council.
In addition to assisting the city administrator, the deputy city administrator will fill in when the city administrator is out temporarily on vacation, medical leave, etc., and be the interim city administrator if the city administrator leaves.
City code currently makes the mayor the acting city administrator when there's no one in the position.
That's happened often in recent years. Washington has had six city administrators since 2015, and has begun the recruitment process for No. 7.
Jim Snider, the most recent city administrator, stepped down in August 2024.
Mayor Lilija Stevens said Monday that when she was elected mayor in April, she didn't want to take on the additional duties of acting city administrator. So she appointed City Engineer Dennis Carr as the interim city administrator.
“I wanted somebody in the [interim] position who knew what the job required,” Stevens said.
Carr said he noticed through the years that “things can stall or not be pushed when the mayor steps in [as acting city administrator].”
