City administrator ready to assume his post

Washington?s new city administrator Brent Hinson will officially assume his position Monday, and he has spent the past few months preparing for the day. Once Hinson finished his duties with his former employer, the city of Garner, on Tuesday, he came to Washington and has been meeting with city staff the rest of the week.

Hinson said that he has had pleasant experiences with city officials starting with his interview with the council Aug. 13.

?We had a great conversation,? Hinson said. ?I really had a good feeling coming out of that interview that it went smoothly. I also got the feeling that the council was a group I could definitely work for.?

Later that day, the council voted unanimously to hire Hinson. Hinson gave the city of Garner a 60-day notice of his departure. He visited Washington a couple of weekends in September to talk to department heads.

?I?ve been meeting with people to get a sense for what the issues are in Washington and what people want to see done,? Hinson said. ?I?ve met with the council members individually and the mayor, as well as members of the public who were recommended to me.?

Hinson said this is the third move he has had to make because of his career. Hinson and his wife Misty have two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy.

?They?ve adapted pretty well so far,? Hinson said. ?They?re sad to leave friends behind. It?s pretty exciting for us, too.?

Hinson said the first order of business he will tackle is the city?s budget.

?There are some financial issues that we?re going to discuss, which will lead into the formal budget process starting the first of the year,? he said.

Hinson said that in his conversations with city staff, he has said that he will focus on communication and planning.

?I think that?s what Washington needs now as a community and within the city,? he said.

Hinson said it was too soon to say the scale of projects Washington will be able to complete in the coming years with its budget.

?I feel I?ve got a very strong financial background, which can be helpful to the city in planning its projects,? he said. ?There may be some limitations, and there always are. We have to look at what the town needs and how we go about meeting those needs.?

Hinson?s first position in municipal government was with the city of Iowa Falls as the finance director and city clerk.

?I spent a couple of years there and got a really deep involvement with finance,? Hinson said. ?The community was doing quite a few things. I learned a lot about TIF (Tax Increment Financing) and capital project financing. I learned how to track project expenses.?

Hinson said that when he went to Garner he continued to refine his financial management skills.

?It?s a small town of 3,000 with a small city staff,? he said. ?There were only three people in the office including me. I took the lead on the budget as well as on most of the project financing. It?s something I have an aptitude for and something I have quite a bit of experience doing now.?

Hinson said he finds it enjoyable to manage a city?s finances.

?One of the best compliments I?ve ever received was from one of my department heads in Garner, who said, ?Brent, we always look forward to seeing how many things you?ll get done with the budget ? how many things we didn?t think could get done that you figured out,?? Hinson said.