Council appoints Steve Bade interim city manager effective Oct. 4

The Redding City Council voted 4-1 in closed session to appoint Assistant City Manager Steve Bade as interim city manager, effective Oct. 4.

Council members confirmed the appointment after the closed-session announcement that council action on item 3C resulted in a 4-1 vote. The council identified the effective date as Oct. 4 because City Manager Barry Tippen has stated his retirement will be effective Oct. 3.

The appointment is interim only; the council said it will continue a public recruitment to select a permanent city manager. Council members discussed timing of the transition in open session and answered questions about the process for recruiting and interviewing candidates. No further action to hire a permanent manager was taken at the meeting.

Council members who spoke on the record described the interim appointment as a short-term measure to ensure continuity until a recruitment and hiring process are completed. The council also noted it has discussed options such as hiring a recruitment firm and holding multiple rounds of interviews. The council did not adopt additional personnel actions at the meeting.

The vote in closed session was 4 in favor, 1 opposed. The dissenting vote was recorded but not further detailed in the public minutes. The council said the interim appointment will remain in place until the council selects a new city manager through the public recruitment process.

The appointment follows prior public discussion that Tippen had told the council of his retirement plans earlier in 2023 and later provided an exact retirement date to the council during the summer of 2025.