Hilliard council appoints Joshua Rausch as city manager in unanimous vote

The Hilliard City Council voted 6-0 to appoint Joshua Rausch as the city's next city manager, approving Resolution 26 R 18 as amended after an executive session on a personnel matter.

The council recessed to executive session under charter section 2.101(a) to consider the appointment, then returned to open session and moved to adopt the resolution. The clerk read the resolution title, and members voted to amend the exhibit to add Joshua Rausch before adopting the measure unanimously.

"We are excited to announce the appointment of Josh Rausch as our next city manager for the city of Hilliard," the presiding officer (Speaker 1) said, describing the search as "deliberate" and expressing appreciation for Raftelis, Lemon, Boggs, staff and members of the public who participated in a meet-and-greet and provided feedback.

The council noted Rausch's previous service as city manager of Riverside and said the pick reflected both professional experience and a focus on community building. A council member (Speaker 3) added, "I just wanna say I was... excited to see how our community came together ... Josh will bring that excitement to Hilliard as well."

The roll calls for the amendment and the final adoption were recorded by the clerk. The clerk announced the amendment passed 6-0; a subsequent roll call on final adoption recorded six affirmative votes and the resolution was adopted. The resolution as amended is titled, "Authorizing the appointment of Joshua Rausch as Hilliard city manager." The resolution number in the meeting was given as 26 R 18.

No effective date for the appointment was stated in the meeting record. Council members also thanked the search consultant and staff who supported the recruitment. The meeting adjourned by voice vote shortly after the appointment vote.