ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER Join an innovative team providing public service! The City of Morgantown is seeking an experienced professional to fill the Assistant City Manager position. Under the general supervision of the City Manager, this position is responsible for performing complex administrative and managerial work in assisting the City Manager in a variety of assignments. Krista Baker Assistant City Manager Job Opening
PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT Assistant City Manager Morgantown, WV (pop. 31,000). A historic city located on the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North Central West Virginia and offers a unique community with a vibrant mix of cultural, social and economic diversity. Morgantown is home to West Virginia University, the largest institution of higher education in the state with an annual enrollment of more than 29,000 students; and is the medical, cultural, and commercial hub of the region. Daytime population estimates are 70,000+ in Morgantown. Morgantown, a city of distinction, offers mountains of opportunity for business development and expansion. Morgantown continues to grow and develop in many areas including housing, manufacturing, research and commercial sectors. Morgantown has shown continued population growth for the last 20 years and is located in the fastest growing county in the State. The City has a rich history, dating back to 1772 when Zackquill Morgan settled here. Today, Morgantown honors its history while supporting contemporary life styles, providing a range of services to a diverse group of residents, students, and tourists. Proud of its historic sites as well as its solid and varied residential neighborhoods, Morgantown features plenty of historic sites as well as solid and varied residential neighborhoods. The City is the proud home to West Virginia University and Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and also houses the Morgantown Municipal Airport that is poised to expand and create numerous economic opportunities in the area. In addition to historic landmarks and growing business, the area is home to many recreational opportunities including biking and hiking on the Rail Trail or in the nearby Coopers Rock State Forest, or water sports and fishing on the Monongahela River and one of our many creeks. The City of Morgantown is looking for a forward-thinking, collaborative professional with strong communication skills to join the team. Under the general supervision of the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager is responsible for performing complex administrative and managerial work in assisting the City Manager in a variety of assignments relating to the planning, direction, control and evaluation of City operations and programs. This position is responsible for the direction and implementation of comprehensive economic research and development programs to enhance development within the City. Work involves professional and accountable administrative work as the City Manager s primary assistant. The qualified candidate will assist the City Manager in administering city affairs; planning, directing, monitoring, and evaluating city programs and operations. The Assistant City Manager also investigates performance problems and makes recommendations concerning city organization, management, and services. The City uses this position as a liaison in developing cooperative relationships among local business groups, citizens, the community and their organizations and institutions, associations, and other public and private organizations. There is also communication with state and federal agencies to promote and oversee the planning and related economic business and residential development activities in the City.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CITY Morgantown is closely tied to the Anglo-French struggle for this territory. Until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, what is now known as Morgantown was greatly contested by settlers and Native Americans, and by the British and the French. The treaty decided the issue in favor of the British, but Indian fighting continued almost to the beginning of the American Revolution. Zackquill Morgan, son of Morgan Morgan, and his brother David, entered the area of Virginia that would become Morgantown in about 1767. Others, such as Thomas Decker, are recorded as attempting settlements in the area earlier or at about the same time. Several forts were also built in the area during this time. These include Fort Pierpont near the Cheat River, in 1769; Fort Coburn, near Dorsey s Knob, in 1770; Fort Morgan, at the present site of Morgantown, in 1772; Fort Dinwiddle, north several miles at Stewartstown, in 1772; Fort Martin, several miles north of the Monongahela River, in 1773; Fort Burris in the present-day Suncrest area of Morgantown, in 1774; and Fort Kern in present-day Greenmont area of Morgantown, in 1774. Zackquill Morgan settled the area around 1772 by establishing a homestead near present-day Fayette Street and University Avenue. Morgan fought in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of colonel. By 1783, following his wartime duties, Colonel Morgan commissioned Major William Haymond to survey his land and divide it into streets and lots. On February 3, 1838, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a municipal charter incorporating the city, now with a population of about 700, as Morgantown, Virginia. The town became part of the newly created state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863, through the Reorganized Government of Virginia. COMMUNITY BACKGROUND MORGANTOWN TODAY Today, Morgantown is home to a culturally diverse population. Morgantown is made up of seven wards and also has a strong neighborhood association network, some of which had been independent towns that were annexed into the city. Neighborhoods include First Ward, Woodburn, South Park, Jerome Park, South Hills, Greenmont, Suncrest, Evansdale, Wiles/Highland and Norwood Addition. These neighborhood associations play a key role in local government in many ways including the dissemination of information, input into strategic planning as well as creating a means of creating community and informing residents about various events or emergency situations. As the county seat of Monongalia, Morgantown is within a 500-mile radius of one-half of the population of the United States and one-third of the population of Canada. Morgantown is one day s drive from 6 of the 8 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, 20 metro areas of populations of 1 million or more, and 22 of the nation s top 35 industrial markets. Morgantown is located at the intersection of Interstate 79 and Interstate 68, giving visitors and businesses easy access in all directions. The City of Morgantown contained an estimated 31,703 residents in 2014. The Morgantown MSA contains roughly 117,000 permanent residents, including over 30,000 full-time students at West Virginia University.
Morgantown and Monongalia County have consistently seen some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. The top 10 employers in the area include: 1. West Virginia University 2. West Virginia University Hospitals 3. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 4. Monongalia County Board of Education 5. Monongalia General Hospital 6. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 7. WVU Medical Corporation 8. The Kroger Company 9. Teletech Customer Care Management, Inc. 10. Gabriel Brothers, Inc. Morgantown is home to West Virginia University, the largest institution of higher education in the State. According to WVU, the Fall 2016 student enrollment on the Morgantown campus alone is just under 29,000. Students from around the world study at West Virginia University in 14 colleges and schools and may choose from 353 majors. Their tuition rates are some of the lowest in the nation with a 2016-2017 tuition of under $8,000 for in-state students. The Morgantown campus comprises three sub-campuses. The original main campus, typically called the Downtown Campus, is in the Monongahela River Valley. The Evansdale Campus is on the rise above the flood plain of the Monongahela River and was developed in the 1950 s and 60 s to accommodate a growing student population. The Health Sciences Campus, in the same outlying area, is located on the other side of the ridge and contains many of the Universities science, research and medical facilities. WVU is home to some of the best hospitals in West Virginia, Ruby Memorial Hospital and WVU Medicine Children s. Community residents have a choice of both public and private elementary and high schools. The city is served by Monongalia County Schools including the elementary schools of Cheat lake, North, Brookhaven, Ridgedale, Mountainview, Mylan Park, Skyview and Eastwood. Additionally, there are four middle schools (Mountaineer Middle, South Westwood, and Suncrest) and two high schools (University High School and Morgantown High School). COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS As of the most recent census data in 2015, there were 30,708 people and 10,126 households in the city. The population density was 2,916.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,126.0/km2). There were 12,664 housing units at an average density of 1,245.2 per square mile (480.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 4.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 11,701 households of which 12.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.1% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 67.3% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 22.6 years. 8.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 52.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 13.1% were from 45 to 64; and 8.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.5% male and 46.5% female.
MORGANTOWN AIRPORT Morgantown City Council has been working towards various projects to improve the service and viability of its airport. Morgantown Municipal airport recently entered into a new agreement with Southern Airways to provide several daily flights to Pittsburgh and Dulles International Airports. This cost effective airline is providing residents with the ability to travel to more destinations with fewer stops. The airport will be undergoing a runway extension (from 5,199 feet to 6,200 feet) project that will bring much needed infrastructure development to the area. In cooperation with the U.S. Air Force Reserves, the City, the FAA, and the Monongalia County Development Authority, the proposed $38 Million expansion will allow for various types of developments to occur in the surrounding areas of the airport. Many Morgantown City Council members and community members have agreed that this project is one of the most critical for the long term development of the City of Morgantown and the county as a whole. It will be a sustainable development that has the potential to bring numerous jobs region as well as provide other avenues for travel for business executives, students, visitors and faculty of West Virginia University. CITY GOVERNMENT Morgantown has a council-manager form of city government. Council is comprised of seven members who are nominated by their respective wards by petition, containing no less than 75 signatures of registered voters, and are elected at large. Council serves as the Legislative Branch, electing one of its own members as Mayor the first regular meeting in July of each year. The Assistant City Manager s duties include attending civic and public meetings for the purpose of explaining various aspects of local government programs, preparing recommendations, reports and publications concerning economic conditions, trending, and potential for economic growth in the community; including consulting with city management and other officials as needed to review city activities, evaluate data relating to assigned projects, provide recommendations, resolve problems, and provide direction, advice and technical expertise. Serving as the City Manager in the City Manager s absence, the job requires the ability to assist in the development and execution of city policies and procedures, develop and implement long and short term goals, objectives, and strategic plans for the city. The Assistant City Manager must direct and execute special projects as assigned, and in turn, provide professional management of those assigned projects, programs, and functions at the direction and discretion of the City Manager.
Other responsibilities of the Assistant City Manager include, but are not limited to: Responding to complaints and questions related to city operations with information, research of problems, and a problem resolution Preparing material for City Council agendas/attendance of Council sessions Providing information or technical assistance, preparing research reports and follow-up as required Communicates with City Manager, Council, Employees, Departments, Officials, Local/State/Federal Government Representatives, Outside Agencies, Consultants, Attorney, the Public, and the Media as needed to coordinate work actives, work status reviews, information exchange, problem resolutions, or give/receive advice and direction Serves on Committees and Board as Needed Maintains a Comprehensive, Current Knowledge and Awareness of Applicable Laws and Regulations Maintains an Awareness of New Trends and Advances in the Profession Reads Professional Literature Maintains Professional Affiliations Attends Workshops and Training Sessions When Appropriate