Job Summary: As an appointment of the Mayor, serves as the administrator and appointing authority for all service departments. This is an advanced professional and administrative position that directs and oversees the operations of all Service Departments including electric distribution, substations, communications (including cable television, internet service, and VOIP), engineering services, building and code enforcement, planning and zoning, information technology, water distribution and wastewater collection, water treatment, wastewater treatment, streets, parks, vehicle and equipment maintenance, utility billing, meter services, sanitation, cable television studio and a center for older adults.

The position reports directly to the Mayor and plans, organizes, integrates, fiscally controls, directs, administers, reviews and evaluates the activities, operations and programs of the service departments of the City; serves as the public information officer; is responsible for ensuring the development and execution of the City’s annual budget and capital plan, ensuring City government operations and functions effectively serve the needs of the residents and other stakeholders, while complying with applicable laws and regulations; and performs related duties as assigned by the Mayor.

The City of Wadsworth is truly “A Community Unmatched” with a great location, award-winning municipal utilities, excellent schools, great parks, a historic downtown, and a wide range of commercial and industrial businesses. You will find the friendly people you would expect in a Midwestern town, coupled with the sophistication of a community that is progressive enough to offer its own municipal electric system and high-speed broadband internet. We have been one of the fastest growing communities in Northeast Ohio with over 24,000 residents and were recently awarded a “Best Hometown Award” by Ohio Magazine.

The City also has a robust service offering for a community of our size. Our street department provides concrete slabs repairs, catch basin work for our annual asphalt resurfacing program of over one million dollars, leaf collection, and snow and ice operations. Our water distribution/wastewater collection department maintains all our distribution lines, four water towers, and four lift stations. Out parks department maintains more than 200 acres of parkland and multiple ballfields, and we just completed an updated park and trail master plan that has us poised to recreate all of our parks in the next ten years. We recently purchased a 205-acre parcel for a new state –of-the-art athletic complex and passive park. Our sanitation department provides service to over 13,000 residential accounts, competes for commercial business, and has its own transfer station available to the public daily. Our fleet maintenance department maintains over 200 pieces of rolling stick and provides direction on new capital purchases. The Wadsworth Municipal Airport is one of the most active general airports. We just completed a master plan update through the FAA for a reconfigured and longer runway in the future. Our engineering department coordinates over five million dollars of capital projects and provides service to developers and industry to spur continued development in the community.

With our own electric department and water and wastewater plants, we can provide cost-effective and highly reliable services to over 13,000 accounts. Our progressive communications service, CityLink, allows residents and businesses to subscribe to cable television, high-speed internet (up to 1 Gig), and VoIP phone service.

These services contribute towards our City’s tagline, “A Community Unmatched”.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Oversees and assures that City services are performed effectively and efficiently to best-practice standards with limited interruptions.
• Authorizes Department of Public Service personnel actions (i.e., appointment of new employees, authorizing promotions, lateral transfers and demotions, temporary assignments, determining disciplinary action). Participates in interviews and selection process supervisors and managers. Recommends wage increases for employees.
• Participates as a member of the Mayor’s Administrative Staff and communicates and coordinates with other department heads and supervisors by addressing issues that affect the City and its employees.
• Manages the preparation and recommends and presents an annual operating budget to the Mayor and City Council for all
• services. Develops and recommends an annual capital improvement budget.
• Monitors and maintains service departments’ budgets; implements cost control measures as necessary; monitors revenues and expenditures to assure sound fiscal control; assures the appropriate use of budgeted funds, personnel, materials, facilities and time.
• Authorizes purchase order requisitions for materials, equipment and supplies for the service divisions.
• Serves as legislative contact and liaison with City Council for any and all ordinances required for service-related matters.
• Attends all City Council Meetings and various Committee and Commission meetings. Presents information on proposals and upcoming projects in the appropriate committees and to Council. Serves on the Planning Commission and Shade Tree Commission.
• Acts as City representative on various Boards and Commission, including the Board of Trustees of American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP), Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), and others.
• Provides leadership and direction in the development of short and long range plans; interprets and prepares data for studies, business cases, reports and recommendations.
• Delegates oversight of service departments, projects, and other duties to Assistant Director(s) of Public Service or to appropriate staff. Provides high-level oversight, guidance, and decision-making in a timely manner.
• Coordinates service department activities with other city departments including law enforcement and fire protection agencies. Coordinates activities as necessary with external entities including other local, county and state governments.
• Provides guidance and support to the Mayor and department heads on service- related issues.
• Recommends changes in the department organizational structure to the Mayor and City Council.
• Authorizes overtime. Monitors and controls overtime expenditures. Authorizes purchase order requests.
• Transfers equipment (e.g., vehicles) within the Service Departments or other departments within the City.
• Participates in labor negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
• Serves as the pre-disciplinary hearing officer to determine the outcome of employee corrective action. Administers disciplinary actions and counsels employees on matters of performance and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Reviews all service department employee performance for competency and compliance with all policies, ordinances, codes and departmental rules and regulations. Conducts annual and probationary performance evaluations on department heads. Authorizes employee leave requests.
• Prepares comprehensive reports as required by all local, state and national authorities.
• Interprets and disseminates information pertaining to all service-related activities.
• Prepares or coordinates all releases, articles, speeches, reports for the general public, media outlets and City Council.
• Meets with civic, fraternal and social club members and other citizen groups to explain the nature, scope, costs and time frames of projects for the Service Departments.
• Makes presentations to city, state and national commissions, agencies and organizations.
• Resolves and addresses complex and sensitive customer service issues either personally, by telephone or in writing.
• Responds to citizen inquiries about Service Department rules, regulations, ordinances, procedures and processes.
• Negotiate all contractual services and relationships on behalf of the City Service Departments.
• Manages the municipal airport including franchise agreement, master plan implementation, plane owner billing and facility maintenance.
• Management of construction and maintenance of Municipal facilities.
• Oversees the management of the City’s real assets and building improvements including maintenance of city-owned buildings.
• Responds to requests for information such as reports, public records and other data from City Council and the general public and other governmental agencies.
• Attends meetings, conferences, and seminars; maintains contacts with professionals in the public service field. Participates in regional, state and national meetings and conferences to stay abreast of trends and technology related to municipal programs and operations.
• Performs other related work as required.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations governing the administration and operations of a municipal government.
• Administration and Management: Principles and processes involved in public administration, organizational planning, coordination, execution and operations. This includes strategic planning, resource allocation, project management, personnel modeling and executive leadership techniques.
• Municipal finance, budgeting, personnel and labor relations.
• Economic development
• Long-range and strategic planning.
• Public administration.
• Municipal risk management.
• Public financing and municipal budgeting.
• Program and policy formulation.
• Principles and practices of public personnel management and labor management relations.
• Principles and practices of effective leadership and management.
• Purchasing and bid processes.
• Municipal electric power, wholesale power supply , electric distribution*
• Cable television programming and internet services.*
• Street and roadway infrastructure.
• Water distribution and wastewater collection services.
• Water and wastewater treatment processes.
• Public park systems.
• Fleet management
• Senior citizen issues and concerns.
• Maintenance of public records.
• The Sunshine Law and other regulations governing the conduct of public meetings.
• National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Techniques of effective public relations.
• Ability to plan and organize work.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with employees, City officials and the general public.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to maintain records, prepare and present executive-level reports and presentations.
• Ability to develop and analyze planning and operational documents (e.g., emergency operations plans, standard operating guidelines, annual work plans).
• Ability to successfully develop, manage and administer municipal budgets and fiscal matters.
• Ability to effectively supervise employees engaged in a variety of different and separate tasks.
• Ability to communicate effectively with and to make public presentations to diverse groups including all levels of City government, committees, City Council, civic organizations, employee organizations, the media and the general public.
• Ability to work independently under general supervision with considerable latitude for initiative and independent judgment.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of accuracy and confidentiality.
• Ability to react, respond and resolve stressful issues, critical matters and emergency situations.
• Ability to plan, integrate and direct a broad range of complex municipal services and programs.
• Ability to read and interpret construction blueprints and specifications.
• Ability to define complex public policy, management and operational issues.
• Ability to evaluate alternatives and develop sound conclusions and recommendations.
• Ability to present proposals and recommendations clearly and logically in public meetings.
• Ability to exercise expert, independent judgment within general policy guidelines.
• Ability to assess and define training needs of subordinate personnel.
• Skill in analyzing, negotiating and resolving problems.
• Skill in the performance of computer operations including electronic mail, internet, word processing and databases.
• Skill in planning and project management and in maintaining composure under pressure while meeting multiple deadlines.
• Skill in conducting complex analyses and research.
• Skill in exercising tact and diplomacy in dealing with highly sensitive political, public policy, community and employee issues.
* May be learned after employment.

Preferred Qualifications for Employment: The employee must meet all of the minimum qualifications below as a condition of employment.

• Possession of a Master’s Degree in business, public administration, public relations or a related field from an accredited college.
• Possession of a four-year Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university or college in a subject field related to the position.
• Eight (8) years of progressively responsible managerial and administrative experience in public services with at least four (4) years of upper management-level experience including directing multiple functions and programs (e.g., finance, budget management, labor relations, human resources, community relations and customer service).

Special Information:

• Incumbent need not be a resident of the city at the time of his/her appointment, but shall become a resident thereof within six (6) months after his/her appointment unless such residence requirement is waived by ordinance.
• Successful completion of a criminal background check, credit check, physical exam and pre-employment drug screen.
• Possession and maintenance of a valid State of Ohio Motor Vehicle Operator’s License and an acceptable driving record as deemed by the Mayor.