Three finalists outline priorities for Sedalia city administrator role

The Sedalia City Council held a work session Wednesday to hear presentations from three finalists for the city administrator position and to field questions from residents. Mayor (unnamed) opened the meeting, saying, "I hereby call this city council work session to order." Jessica Hoffman, the city’s community engagement director, moderated the community question-and-answer panel.

John Holmes, a candidate for city administrator, framed the role as a mix of governance and organizational management and emphasized responsiveness and transparency. "They want governance that is fair, transparent, accountable, [and] responsive," Holmes said during his 40-minute presentation, adding that municipal administration must balance efficiency and effectiveness and that city staff should be supported and engaged.

Matthew Ward, a longtime local law-enforcement leader and candidate, presented a detailed, action-oriented plan organized by 1-, 3- and 5-year goals. Ward said his "vision is supported by a structured plan with 1, 3, and 5 year goals," and prioritized infrastructure and growth readiness (including sewer-plant upgrades and a possible replacement or repair strategy for the Washington Street Bridge), digital modernization (enterprise resource planning and citizen-facing services), and a push for housing and workforce development tied to local economic growth.

Steven Rasmussen, the third finalist, emphasized an approach that pairs urgency with caution. "I wanna hit the deck running, but what I wanna do is I wanna take some time to look at the goals that you've got set, look at how things are going in the city, and, meet the staff, get to know all of you, meet people in the community," Rasmussen said, arguing for active stakeholder engagement, monthly updates to the council on strategic priorities, and strong support for department heads and personnel.

All three candidates discussed workforce and public-safety staffing challenges. Holmes and Ward both described employee engagement, cross-training and performance feedback as priorities; Ward emphasized leadership development and succession planning across departments. Rasmussen highlighted the statewide difficulty of recruiting law-enforcement personnel and said competitive compensation and clear priorities are required to retain staff.

On infrastructure, Ward set specific near-term priorities: finishing design and initiating construction on sewer-plant work to address inflow and infiltration, a five-year street-rehabilitation plan, and completing identified sidewalk and bike-path projects. Holmes and Rasmussen likewise flagged capital-project reviews (comprehensive plan, capital-improvement plan, fleet replacement) and recommended early audits or reassessments so the city can position grant applications and capital projects effectively.

Budgeting and finance were regular themes. Rasmussen recommended maintaining a prudent general-fund reserve and said a sound target is at least 15% (noting 25% or more is safer), and described options such as using reserves or bonded debt to meet urgent capital needs. Ward emphasized using an ERP system to improve financial transparency and service delivery. Holmes described a stepwise review of fees and revenues, citing past examples where utility or tap fees were adjusted to better reflect true costs.

During the community Q&A, Jessica Hoffman read submitted questions and each candidate replied in turn. Questions covered the role of the city administrator, balancing competing priorities among council, staff and residents, development of long-term strategic plans, handling budget shortfalls, and resolving disagreements between residents and city government. Candidates repeatedly stressed listening first, then explaining the legal and policy constraints that shape options; Holmes noted that many decisions are constrained by existing policy or code and that the city administrator’s role is to implement council policy.

The work session included procedural reminders: each candidate had 40 minutes for an initial presentation followed by a panel Q&A; the council took a five-minute recess between the individual presentations. No formal hiring decision or vote was taken at this meeting. The council will continue its selection process on future dates not specified at the session.

The presentations laid out overlapping priorities: immediate focus on essential services and public safety, improvements to infrastructure (especially sewer and major streets), modernization of digital systems and records, attention to workforce recruitment/retention, and targeted economic-development and housing strategies to prepare for measured growth in Sedalia and Pettis County.

Looking forward, candidates recommended steps the council could direct staff to take if a finalist is hired: an expedited organizational review and onboarding (Holmes), rapid advancement of design and grant-readiness for capital projects (Ward), and a monthly council update system tied to the council’s strategic goals (Rasmussen). No formal actions were recorded in the transcript of this work session.