Council approves new city administrator appointment

The Red Oak City Council has approved the hire of a new city administrator.
At the regular Red Oak City Council meeting May 1, the council discussed an employment agreement resolution, a resolution of appointment, and a resolution of salary for Kyra Smith.
Councilmember Brian Bills said Smith is a Red Oak native, who currently resides in Kansas City, Mo. Bills said after conducting interviews, he and other members who sat in during the interview process found her to be the best fit for the community.
“The qualifications included more than just the education and previous job experience. The other part of the qualification was potential longevity on the job as well,” said Bills. “Once she’s hired on the job, we feel that she’ll be here for a very long time.”
The council unanimously approved the resolution approving an employment agreement with Smith, and the resolution approving Smith’s appointment. Red Oak Mayor Shawnna Silvius said Smith was expected to take over the role later this month.
“We currently have her start date as May 31. That may need to be adjusted a little bit, but according to her last statement, that was the date we could start with,” commented Silvius.
The council also unanimously approved the resolution setting Smith’s salary at $100,000 annually for a three-year term.
With the hiring of a new city administrator, interim city administrator Al Vacanti’s temporary position of the post is coming to an end. May 1 marked the final council meeting that Vacanti would be in attendance at, and he expressed his appreciation to the City of Red Oak.
“I want to express my appreciation to the employees and the citizens of Red Oak for the opportunity to serve the community for a few months. I wish I could say it was perfect, but it was definitely a learning experience and a challenge at times. However, I also feel there were some things we accomplished that will serve the community well,” said Vacanti.
Councilmember Jeanice Lester praised Vacanti for his assistance to the city.
“The city was in a predicament, and you helped us get through that,” stated Lester.
 Bills added he wanted to express his appreciation for the hours Vacanti put in and the learning curve that he went through, saying he was a perfect fit for the office.
Red Oak Mayor Shawnna Silvius also praised Vacanti for his brief tenure with the city.
“I feel that we’re in a much better position than we would have been if we hadn’t had you, and we appreciate your service greatly,” Silvius said.
Vacanti said he’d be doing his best to prepare things for Smith.
“I’ll try to do some clean-up of some last minute things so they’re not on the table for the new city administrator,” Vacanti commented.