The Indianola City Council discussed filling the Community and Economic Development Director position at their meeting Monday, eliminating the Deputy City Manager title of the previous position. Mayor Steve Richardson tells KNIA News the position is crucial for the growth of the city, and the council made the decision to have the position separated from the Deputy City Manager role to not only save money but to make for a more efficient administration.

“We really need a community development director, somebody that runs that department and is the project manager of a lot of the things we are doing. Working with Main Street to make sure that things they are trying to do to coordinate with the City of Indianola. One of the things we talked about during the hiring a city manager process was we don’t want to set our city manager up for failure by having him try to wear both hats.”

The position will oversee planning, zoning, economic development, code enforcement, housing inspections and more, making a direct impact on the growth and vitality of Indianola.