Cole Smith selected as new city administrator for Riverside

“People are excited about the community and want to see it grow. People who are committed to progress, committed to serving the community. That’s something I want to be a part of.”

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 4/12/23

Cole Smith arrived in town even before he had an interview.

“I went and met with some of the businesses and just talked to some residents,” Riverside’s new city administrator …

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Cole Smith selected as new city administrator for Riverside

“People are excited about the community and want to see it grow. People who are committed to progress, committed to serving the community. That’s something I want to be a part of.”

Posted

Cole Smith arrived in town even before he had an interview.

“I went and met with some of the businesses and just talked to some residents,” Riverside’s new city administrator said after being appointed by the Riverside City Council by a 4-1 vote at a special meeting held April 5.

“It was clear that there was a buzz around the community,” he said. “People are optimistic. People are very happy to be here.”

Starting May 1, Smith, a native of Mount Pleasant, will be one of those people.

Smith, who is Executive Director of the Louisa Development Group, was named as city administrator following a search that lasted nearly four months and involved at least two rounds of interviews among City Council members, Riverside business owners and a consulting firm.

But he was in Riverside, checking out his new place, before the interview grilling even began.

“It’s gotta be a good fit, both ways,” said Smith, 23, a University of Northern Iowa marketing graduate. “Throughout the entire process, I’ve met nothing but kind people. People are excited about the community and want to see it grow. People who are committed to progress, committed to serving the community. That’s something I want to be a part of.”

One of the places Smith didn’t go to during his first visit was the Voyage Home Museum. He’s not a Trekkie. Soon, that will change. After all, the good Captain Kirk hasn’t technically been born yet although a monument honoring his future birthplace is located in an alleyway next to City Hall.

“To be honest with you, I have not seen an episode (of Star Trek). That’s on my list of things to do,” Smith said.

“I feel like that’s a prerequisite to being a part of this community. You’ve got to kind of understand how that works.”

Smith is replacing Christine Yancey, who retired from city management in December and whose decision was initially not accepted by the City Council.

Smith’s contractual agreement has a starting base salary of $80,000, which is beneath the $85,000-$95,000 salary range approved by the City Council in a previous session. The agreement calls for his salary to increase to $84,000 in Fiscal Year 2025, $88,000 in FY26 and $92,000 in FY27.

Yancey topped $80,000 in FY23, which began July 1, 2022.

The three-year progression in salaries caused Council Person Tom Sexton to vote against the appointment.

“I think he’s going to do a great job,” Sexton said.

“I think he’s got a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm for the position,” Mayor Allen Schneider told The News. “That’s kind of what I think caught the City Council’s eye within. He’s got a variety of experience with economic development in the area so I think that’ll be helpful, too. And we can kind of learn from some of the projects that he’s undertaken in other communities around here.”

Smith will arrive in Riverside at a time when a $3.2 million water and sewer main project on Third Street is wrapping up. The city is in the midst of construction and repair projects at its water treatment and wastewater plants.

The city may be considering an expansion, or annexation of Washington County land, as housing development surfaces, including a tentative proposal for a large subdivision west of Highway 218 near the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort.

“This is my first city administration job,” Smith said, “so it’s a good place to jump in and be able to accomplish a lot of things.”

In Louisa County, Smith said he has worked on a number of projects, including business assistance and development, housing development, broadband and community organizations.

“I think the community size is something that drew me to this,” he said. “I like a tight community, a place where you can get to know a large portion of the population. It shouldn’t be understated that Riverside has positioned itself in a really good place for future growth and development.”

Schneider, who was also mayor when Yancey was hired as city administrator in 2019, was happy with the consulting and hiring process.

“I think we’re lucky to have the candidates that we did,” Schneider said. “Everybody’s very happy to have Cole coming in. It seems like we’re ready to move ahead right now.”

Next board meeting: The City Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting is at 6 p.m. April 17.