SOLON — Following the retirement of former Public Works Director Scott Kleppe on February 14th, the city underwent a long search for someone to fill the role. Kleppe spent nearly 27 years with the city, also serving as the Assistant City Administrator.
The hiring committee was composed of Council Member Lauren Whitehead, Mayor Pro Tem John Farlinger, Mayor Dan O’Neil, and City Administrator Cami Rasmussen. Rasmussen said that the city received 26 total applications for the position, which was narrowed down to seven applicants after the first round of interviews.
“The right candidate for the position needed to be a proven manager with experience in the Public Works setting,” said Rasmussen. “We were looking for the right person to carry on the tradition of service, high standards and community commitment that had been set for the department by departing Public Works Director & Assistant City Administrator Scott Kleppe.”
Offers were made to two different candidates, but ultimately the decision was made to restructure the role and department internally. The current public works team has over 30 years of combined experience, and Rasmussen has been tasked with the department’s restructuring, which aims to create advancement opportunities for current staff members. “The department restructuring plan involved creating Public Works Superintendent positions and moving current Public Works staff into those roles,” Rasmussen said. “This shift then opened up the Utilities Specialist position for one of the current team members ready to advance within
the department.”
The new structure has been in place since May 5th, with Rasmussen saying that everyone has been working hard to make sure the transition goes smoothly and is successful. Rasmussen will also continue to serve as the acting Public Works Director for the next six months.
“Scott did a lot of the hands-on work of coaching and teaching and training and working with contractors and developers,” Rasmussen said. “Right now everyone in the department and City Hall has stepped up and have been bringing their best to keep everything flowing and operating as close to normal as possible.”
Besides a new Public Works system, the staff at City Hall have also been hard at work preparing for a finance system rework as well, following the departure of former Finance Officer Travis Schmidt.
“While he was here a short ten months with the city, he had a big impact,” Rasmussen said. “He helped streamline a lot of our processes, he was an Excel whiz, and he’s helped our trajectory in our finance department get to a level that we needed to be and that I’d hoped to be.”
Furthermore, the Finance Officer position will be turning into a Finance Clerk. Rasmussen said that the shift is due to the city’s growth and the resulting increased traffic in City Hall. “We took the opportunity to reassess City Hall needs and believe a Finance Clerk better describes the position which includes monthly accounting and reporting, handling day to day City Hall activities and also serves as the back up to the City Clerk as needed.”
There were 32 applicants for the position, and an offer was made to and accepted by Amy Randall. Randall is not new to the city, having worked part-time in a different role. Randall began her new position Monday, June 2, and brings with her 12 years of county government expertise.
In May the Public Works Department also welcomed Matt Nost as a Public Works Specialist. Nost is a Solon resident and is also a captain for the Solon Fire Department. In addition, Natalie Murphy was brought on as a part-time City Hall Clerk. Murphy is a recent graduate from the University of Iowa with a master’s degree from the School of Planning and Public Affairs.