Adrian City Commission members convened a special meeting on Aug. 14, 2025, to interview multiple finalists for the city administrator position and to set next steps in the hiring process. Commissioners approved the meeting agenda by roll call at the start of the session and heard candidate presentations and questions on city services, budgeting, transparency and community engagement.

Why it matters: The city administrator will lead implementation of Adrian's strategic plan, manage departmental budgets and personnel, and coordinate with elected officials and residents. The commission's hiring choice will shape near-term fiscal and operational priorities for the community.

Commission action and schedule
The commission approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session (motion moved by Commissioner Behnke; seconded by Commissioner Gauss). Roll call votes recorded yes from Commissioners Roberts, Schwartz, Behnke, Miller, Casselberry, Gauss and Mayor Heath. The commission closed the meeting with a voice vote to adjourn.

The commission and the consultant running the search set a public schedule for closing steps: a public reception with the candidates will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. the evening of Aug. 14, the consultant said she will "provide consolidated feedback to the commissioners tomorrow," and the commission intends to deliberate on next steps at its Monday meeting. The consultant told the commission she will be in Adrian for Monday's meeting to support deliberations and follow whatever direction the commission gives.

What candidates emphasized
Interviewed finalists — including Chad Ball (who identified himself as a police chief), a parks-and-recreation director identified in the record as Jeremiah, the utilities director identified as Will, and additional candidates listed as Alex, Al and Ellis — answered a standard panel of questions from commissioners and generally emphasized the following themes:
- Service evaluation and performance: Candidates described using on‑the‑ground engagement with line staff, clear performance expectations and measurable metrics to evaluate and improve services. Ball summarized that leaders must be “present” and use both trust and verification to ensure execution, saying he would “trust but verify that the work’s being done.”
- Strategic planning and alignment: Several candidates described tying daily operations and budget lines to a city strategic plan and using project-management tools to assign responsibilities and track progress. One candidate (Jeremiah) said the pool project has been handled in phases to align with budget realities and community expectations, adding, “we wanna keep a community standard. We want a clean, functioning pool.”
- Budget discipline and capital planning: Candidates repeatedly described close, regular work with finance staff, multi‑year capital plans and prioritization of “right fix at the right time” for infrastructure. The utilities director detailed use of asset‑management plans to rank infrastructure work by criticality and historic performance.
- Transparency and community engagement: Candidates recommended multilayered communications — town halls, press releases, social media and keeping residents informed — to reduce misunderstanding and opposition. One candidate described convening diverse stakeholders, including civil‑liberties attorneys and legal advisers, during a town‑hall discussion about license‑plate readers to ensure transparency.
- Handling opposition and crisis: Candidates recounted projects or incidents that drew public concern (facility upgrades, license‑plate readers, a wastewater treatment construction project) and described front‑end engagement, listening to pain points, and addressing technical fixes as ways to reduce opposition.

Public comment and questions
A member of the public, Chris Schmidt of Scott Court, asked whether the person selected would be expected to relocate to Adrian and how involved the candidate would be in community life outside of city hall; the record does not include a definitive candidate response to that relocation question and it remains "not specified." Commissioners and the consultant reiterated that the evening reception is an opportunity for more informal community-candidate interaction.

Next steps
The consultant will gather written feedback from the public and attendees tonight and deliver a consolidated summary to the commission tomorrow. The commission plans to take up the matter Monday, when members will have an opportunity to discuss the candidates in open session and, if they choose, to make a motion directing staff to begin negotiations with a specific candidate or to seek additional candidates. Commissioners indicated they may table any vote if they cannot reach a decision Monday.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to approve the Aug. 14 agenda (mover: Commissioner Behnke; second: Commissioner Gauss) — Roll call: Roberts, Schwartz, Behnke, Miller, Casselberry, Gauss, Mayor Heath — Outcome: approved.
- Motion to adjourn (voice vote) — Outcome: approved.

Ending
The commission closed the special meeting after allocating time for a public reception and confirming the consultant will return Monday to assist with deliberations on next steps. The record shows the commission emphasized both fiscal discipline and community engagement as priorities for the next administrator.