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New city manager outlines priorities, extends conditional offer for finance director
Summary
Fairview’s newly seated city manager introduced a leadership approach focused on employee engagement, structure and process improvement, and said staff has made a conditional offer for a new finance director with municipal experience.
Fairview’s new city manager addressed the council Jan. 15, outlining an approach centered on employee engagement, clearer organizational structure and improved processes.
The city manager said a leadership team of department heads now meets weekly and that he is conducting one-on-one meetings with staff and planning ride-alongs with public-works and police personnel to better understand operations. He emphasized employee retention, professionalism and a collaborative decision-making style that seeks staff buy-in while retaining managerial responsibility.
On staffing, the manager reported making a conditional offer for a finance director who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in accounting and who has spent their career in Oregon municipal government. The city manager said the finalist participated in interviews with current finance staff and that staff feedback was solicited.
The city manager also asked councilors to consider one-on-one meetings on a monthly basis and said the administration will take time to evaluate the city’s budget cadence; staff and the manager recommended temporarily suspending the biennial budget process while finance issues are resolved.
Why it matters
A permanent finance director is central to addressing the finance-department issues staff described in the meeting and to restoring capacity for longer-term budgeting and reporting. The city manager’s early focus on leadership, structure and process signals an administrative effort to stabilize operations and improve internal coordination.
Next steps
The conditional offer remains subject to standard hiring steps and any applicable background checks. Staff will return with a recommendation on annual versus biennial budgeting in roughly 18 months, per the council’s approved resolution.
