Urbana confirms Darius White as city administrator; council requests updated job description

The Urbana City Council confirmed Mayor Williams’ appointment of Darius White as city administrator on July 28. The appointment’s term was listed through June 30, 2027. The mayor and council members welcomed White and cited his local ties and management experience as factors in the selection.

Mayor Williams described White as “of this community” and said White’s experience and relationships would help advance equity, neighborhood stability and inclusive growth. Council members thanked outgoing interim staff (specifically Elizabeth, who served as interim city administrator) and noted they had met White prior to the confirmation vote.

Council member Mary Alice Wu requested that staff work with the mayor and the new administrator to update the posted job description; White and the mayor agreed that staff would review and refine the description and performance expectations in the coming weeks. One council member voted “present” during the confirmation roll call to indicate a desire to review the job description in writing prior to a full endorsement of performance expectations; the appointment passed by majority vote and will take effect according to the city’s appointment process.

Next steps: Staff will prepare an updated city administrator job description and performance expectations as requested by council members; White will assume the duties of city administrator according to the city’s administrative timeline.