Adrian administrator resigns; commission appoints acting administrator and fast-tracks national search

Chad Ball announced his resignation as Adrian’s city administrator, telling the City Commission he will exhaust vacation time and that his last day on the books is May 24. Commissioners accepted his resignation at the May 4 meeting and publicly thanked Ball for eight months of service, citing his accessibility and a “yes before no” approach.

The commission voted to appoint Will Sadler as acting city administrator to maintain continuity while the city completes a national search. The roll-call vote on resolution R26-044 carried with two commissioners — Schwarz and Moore — recorded as voting no; the remaining commissioners voted yes. Commissioners said the acting appointment should be clearly framed so it does not discourge outside applicants from applying for the permanent position.

The commission also approved a contract clause with recruitment firm Yo & Yo (resolution R26-045) and instructed the firm to accelerate its timeline and contact previously vetted finalists. Amy, a representative of the search firm, said she would revise the posting and shorten the schedule to accommodate commissioners’ availability. Commissioners emphasized the time-sensitive nature of the work, noting the city faces a deadline tied to a $15 million enhancement grant that requires certain projects to be under way by December.

Several commissioners favored an internal acting appointment to keep grant and project work moving immediately; others cautioned about optics if an acting administrator were also a candidate for the permanent job. The commission agreed to hold special meetings if needed and asked the city attorney and Yo & Yo to manage messaging to preserve fairness in the search.

The commission’s actions: acceptance of Ball’s resignation (resolution R26-043), appointment of Will Sadler as acting city administrator (R26-044), and authorization to accelerate the Yo & Yo search (R26-045). The acting appointment takes effect immediately to allow transition and continuity on major projects.