City manager proposes new COO role, shifts public‑safety oversight and begins search for dedicated public safety director

City Manager Grayson Path presented a proposed executive reorganization July 28 aimed at improving cross‑department coordination and freeing his time for council and regional work.

Path said the most significant change is formally recognizing Deputy City Manager Andrew Freeman as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Under the COO, Path said, functions that touch the whole organization—information technology, human resources, finance and the Office of Engagement and Innovation—would be coordinated to improve cross‑cutting issue resolution. Path also described an unchanged municipal infrastructure portfolio under the existing director and proposed shifting public‑safety leadership to a dedicated ACM/public‑safety director role he intends to fill by external search; the city has engaged Strategic Government Resources and expects the process to take roughly four to six months.

Path emphasized this is organizational capacity, not overhead, and said he will serve as interim over public safety until the position is filled. Council members asked questions about communication, who will carry forward Rich Guyon’s prior automation and 311 projects, and how the new roles will surface operational issues. Path said many technology and 311 responsibilities will be coordinated among COO, IT and OEI leadership and that some ongoing projects with Rich will continue as part of a handover.

Council voiced general support while requesting strong upward communication to ensure issues do not get trapped below executive level. Path said changes would take effect promptly unless council requests further review.