A new plan for planning, redevelopment

Clark County

Discussion

February 6, 2010

Duties will be divided, Jeffersonville officials say

By DAVID A. MANN The News and Tribune Sat Feb 06, 2010, 07:34 PM EST

Jeffersonville officials say they’ll split the duties of planning and redevelopment directors. That news comes about two weeks after Jim Urban, who had held both jobs since last summer, resigned, effective the end of March.

“Really we want someone that’s just focused on redevelopment,” said Rob Stevens, president of the Jeffersonville Redevelopment Commission.

Stevens admits that having one person in both positions “was a difficult assignment.”

Jeffersonville City Councilman Ed Zastawny, who recently was appointed to the commission, said that considering the cash flow that’s generated under tax increment finance, or TIF, districts — money garnered in certain areas flagged for redevelopment — “That should definitely be two different people.”

History

Urban came to the city as planning director in January 2008, a recruit of Mayor Tom Galligan, who took office at the same time. He’d also been planning director during Galligan’s first two terms. He took the double department head role after Galligan fired former Redevelopment Director Gayle Robinson in July 2009. Galligan said at the time that Robinson’s removal was the result of downsizing.

Urban was supposed to head up a newly created Office of Community Development. However, his leadership of the redevelopment office had often been described as “interim.”

Assistant Planning Director Brian Fogle will head the city’s planning department for now, Galligan said.

Open position

None of the officials reached for this story would comment on Urban’s job performance. However, they all said that the new redevelopment position should be advertised. Asked about specific names, all said the position is unlikely to be staffed by someone already within the administration.

If someone is hired from within, “they’ll have to apply just like everyone else,” Galligan said.

“I don’t know all the reasons why what happened, happened [with Urban],” said Charley Reisert, a commission member.

He said he wanted to focus on finding a new director rather than dwelling on the last six months.

Stevens said a job description for redevelopment director is being updated. That description is expected to include management of TIF dollars and dealing with familiarity with the political processes involved in city government, he said.

Zastawny said that advertisements would be placed in the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns’ publication, as well as Business First and other newspapers.

Galligan dismissed speculation that the job would go to Zastawny, who recently held a contract position with the department auditing TIF income.

“It’s not going to be me,” Zastawny said after being asked about it. “I have a career outside city government.”

What’s next?

Stevens said solving problems on 10th Street would be a priority for the commission moving forward. Blighted properties there will be inventoried.

At that point, the city can look into purchasing and redeveloping them, he said.

“I think we were making progress,” said Reisert. “There are always things that you would like to happen more quickly.

“Sometimes the wheels of government grind exceedingly slow.”