At Monday's city council meeting August 29, 2011, council members, the mayor and new City Administrator Ike Holland expressed appreciation to the City Administrator Search Committee. Committee members were David Moore (chairman), Patricia Anderson (secretary), John Cook, Gordon Smith, Nona Wilkison, William Hulett, Fritz Kline, Dennis Savage and David Macoubrie. The mayor served as an ex-officio non-voting member.

C-T Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley

Chillicothe City Council members on Monday thanked community members for their time and effort in serving on the City Administrator Search Committee. Members were, front, from left: Dennis Savage, Nona Wilkison, Fritz Kline, Chairman David Moore; and back from left: David Macoubrie, William Hulett, Patricia Anderson (secretary), and John Cook; and not pictured, Gordon Smith.

New City Administrator on the Job
August 16, 2011
C-T Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley

IKE HOLLAND: CHILLICOTHE CITY ADMINISTRATOR

Chillicothe's new city administrator, Ike Holland, began his first day on the job Monday, August 15, 2011, with most of the day spent meeting department heads and City Hall staff and, in general, getting acclimated to his new surroundings.

Holland most recently served as emergency manager for Montrose County, Colorado. He had worked as city manager for Orchard City, Colorado, from 2004 until 2008, and then as assistant county manager for Montrose County from 2008 until early this year. As assistant county manager, Holland oversaw and supervised half of the county's departments, including finance, human resources, information technology, GIS (Geographic Information System), public information, and grants. He also served as emergency manager.

Montrose County employs 440 people and operates with a $52 million budget. Due to budget reductions this year, the assistant county manager position was eliminated, at which time Holland became the county's emergency manager, a job which he had also been doing as assistant county manager.

In addition to his experience in Montrose and Orchard City, Holland had also served as assistant city administrator and interim city administrator for the city of Ulysses, Kansas, and was employed as a human resource compensation manager for the city of Topeka, Kansas.

Holland, 51, states that moving to Missouri, where both he and his wife have family ties, coupled with the opportunity to return to city administrative work, is a positive change. Holland was born and raised in Coffeyville, Kansas (about 60 miles west of Joplin, Missouri). He spent 22 years in the military - serving first in the Air Force, and then in the Army, as a finance and accounting officer, artillery officer and a major. He has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado.

Holland brings a diverse background of experience to Chillicothe and looks forward to his new venture. "I enjoy coming to new places and meeting new people," he said. "I want to set standards as high as possible and challenge the employees."

One of his first personal priorities as city administrator is to meet with the individuals who keep the city functioning. "I promise to meet with every employee one on one," he said. "I want to know every single employee so that when they see me at Piggly Wiggly they feel comfortable in saying 'hello' to me, and that I know them too, because I would hate to stand in line behind an employee and not know that they are part of this organization." "They are the ones who are doing the work," he added. "I am here to serve them as their leader."

Montrose County borders the state of Utah. It is the agricultural hub of the western slope, home to the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. The majority of the county is made up of National Forest, Bureau of Land Management or National Park lands. Acknowledging Chillicothe's geographical placement at the crossroads of two major highways and given his own experience in Montrose County, Holland said he recognizes the importance of infrastructure. "A lot of people depend on their jobs and what traffic comes in and out of Chillicothe," he said.

Holland and his wife, Leslie, have five children, ranging in ages from 12 to 20. Their oldest son is in the Army Reserves and attends the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Their oldest daughter is 18 and a senior in high school and will remain in Colorado with Leslie and the youngest daughter, age 12, so that she can complete her high school career without having to change schools. They plan to move to Chillicothe at the end of the current school year. Their younger sons, ages 13 and 14, are enrolled in Chillicothe schools this fall - one is a freshman at Chillicothe High School and the other an eighth-grader at Bishop Hogan Memorial School.

Given his military background and that of his wife's (Leslie's father was in the military), Holland said the family has had to adjust to temporary separations in the past. Holland has lived in Alabama, Hawaii and Florida, and he embraces the move back toward his roots. "It's nice to return back to the local area," he said. "I feel like this is home." Both he and his wife have friends and relatives in the Kansas City area.

Holland is the fifth city administrator for the city of Chillicothe, the first one being Ann Daniels, who was hired in 1990 and served two years.

City Administrator Hired
July 28, 2011

With a unanimous vote in Monday's executive session, the City of Chillicothe hired Ike Holland, of Montrose, Colo., as the new city administrator, effective Monday, Aug. 15. The motion was made by Councilman Wayne Cunningham and seconded by Councilwoman Pam Jarding. The motion was unanimously passed with a roll call vote.

Holland, who is 51, was born and raised in Coffeyville, Kansas, and currently resides in Montrose, Colorado, which is only slightly larger than Chillicothe. He has 10 years of experience in local government and 22 years of military service. He has experience in finance and budget control, policy development, public and private utilities, human resources and project management. He earned his bachelors degree from the University of Kansas and his masters in public administration from the University of Colorado.

Holland and his wife Leslie have five children, three sons and two daughters ranging in ages from 12 to 20, with at least two to be enrolled in the Chillicothe School District this fall. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus. His family plans to attend St. Columban Catholic Church here in Chillicothe.
"I'm very excited about this opportunity," said Holland. "I look forward to moving there in the next two weeks." Holland also stated that he felt his experience would be a benefit to the Chillicothe community almost immediately.

Holland was one of three administrator finalists in an original application list of 51 persons for the position with the city. The City of Chillicothe has been operating without an administrator since mid April.

City Administrator salary, benefits under $100K
August 1, 2011

Chillicothe's new city administrator, Ike Holland, is slated to begin his duties two weeks from today with a salary similar to the previous administrator’s starting salary, and a scaled back benefits package. According to his employment agreement with the city, Holland will have an annual base salary of $84,000. His benefits package is estimated to be just under $14,000.

Much of the benefits package is similar to the benefits of all full-time city employees. His health benefits will be equal to that which is provided to all other employees of the city. Currently, the city pays for all of the employee's health, hospitalization, surgical and comprehensive medical insurance, a $400 annual medical reimbursement plan, and 25 percent of the dependent coverage.

The employment agreement states that the administrator will accrue sick and vacation leave on an annual basis at the highest rate provided to any other employee.

The city will provide the administrator with a vehicle and provide retirement benefits, including LAGERS and ICMA (deferred comp).

The city has also agreed to pay up to $5,000 in moving expenses for Holland, who currently resides in Montrose, Colorado. He and his wife, Leslie, have five children.

The city has been without an administrator since mid-April when then administrator Dean Brookshier resigned. Brookshier's starting annual salary was $85,000, with an additional $25,600 in benefits. His annual salary, including benefits, at the time of his resignation was $112,246.