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McAlester Council authorizes new project management director to oversee capital projects
Summary
Council approved creation of a director-level project management position to coordinate capital projects, improve transparency and reporting, and maintain an interactive project map; staff said recruitment will begin after the next budget approval and pay will be set by city officials.
The McAlester City Council voted unanimously to create a director-level project management position for city staff to coordinate capital improvement projects, track timelines, and report regularly to the council.
City staff (Mr. Weimer) told the council the new position would relieve department directors of project-level management, improve fiscal accounting, integrate multiple project phases, and maintain an up-to-date interactive map of projects on the city website. The position would be expected to hold project management certification and relevant education and would become an on-staff director-level role responsible for oversight and reporting.
Councilors asked about pay and hiring. Mr. Weimer said he and staff (Sherry and Wendy) would determine a pay range and that recruitment would use the city website and municipal recruitment services, including the Oklahoma Municipal League and Oklahoma Municipal Management Services. "We could actually start to search as soon as it's approved and with a start date once the budget for next year is approved and it includes those funding," he said.
Councilor questions centered on the search timeline and whether the role would be hired locally or via national recruitment. Mr. Weimer said the recruitment could be local or broader depending on council preference and noted a realistic 60–90 day search cycle with standard notice periods for a successful candidate.
Councilor Beatty moved to approve the position; Councilor Boatwright seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous roll-call vote.
Why it matters: Council and staff described the position as central to completing major capital projects on schedule and improving public transparency about project status and funding.
What comes next: Staff will identify a pay range and begin recruitment once funding is included in the next-year budget; the council will receive regular project reports from the new director.
