Garden City reports multiple staff changes: veteran services, building inspections, new building commissioner

Garden City officials reported multiple personnel changes across departments during the Aug. 26 Appointments Committee meeting, including turnover in veteran services, building inspections and other municipal offices.

Director Hasselman, the city’s veteran services director, gave notice and his last day was noted as “tomorrow” (Aug. 27, 2025). The city announced an accepted offer to Christopher Davis, the current veteran service director for the town of Lancaster, who will begin a temporary 60-day appointment on Sept. 8, 2025. Assistant director Lauren Bimler also submitted her resignation; officials said Davis will hire a new assistant after he assumes the role and that the assistant-director position has been posted with several applicants.

In the building department, two local inspectors — Dalen Dominguez and another inspector identified as Scott — submitted resignations. City officials said retirees who work limited hours must remain below a 1,200-hours-per-year threshold to avoid pension deductions, a factor in one inspector’s departure. The city has already filled one local-inspector vacancy: Timothy Scott accepted an offer and had his first day on the job the day of the committee meeting; he will serve a 60-day probationary period and later appear before the committee for council approval as required for inspectors. An offer for the second local-inspector position was outstanding at the time of the meeting.

Officials also said Melissa McDonald will begin as the city’s new building commissioner on a 60-day temporary appointment starting Sept. 4, 2025; the committee noted she is coming from the town of Shrewsbury and will be the city’s first female building commissioner. The mayor reported three police officers are currently in the police academy and three firefighters are in the fire academy, with those recruits expected to graduate between fall and January. The department of public works has a foreman opening for municipal grounds that is being recruited.

Human-resources leaders were credited for broadening recruitment outreach; officials said some vacancies attracted candidates from smaller towns seeking full-time roles. The committee did not record any objections to the hiring actions; several hires were already accepted and others remained in process.