The Henderson City Commission has appointed Project Manager Dylan Ward to be the next assistant city manager.
Ward’s appointment came Tuesday evening at the end of Board of Commissioners regular scheduled meeting.
Commissioners, City Manager William L. “Buzzy” Newman and City Attorney Dawn Kelsey went into executive session at the end of the meeting, and when they came out about 50 minutes later, the board voted unanimously to appoint Ward.
Ward’s salary will be $110,000, up about $20,000 from what he makes in his current position, he said. His first day as the assistant city manager will be March 4.
Ward has worked in the city for 10 years, starting in 2014 as engineering assistant, promoted in 2016 to public works engineer and promoted once more in 2017 to project manager, said a release from the city.
Ward said he applied for the job the last time it was open. That opening went to Heath Cox, who had formerly worked as the chief of the Henderson Police Department. Cox was in the assistant city manager position from Jan. 12 to July 25, 2023, when the Board of Commissioners approved an agreement to mutually separate. According to the agreement, neither Cox nor the city were allowed to publicly speak of the reasons for the agreement.
With the current hiring, the position was not posted. Ward said the city pulled from applications from the previous hiring in early 2023.
Ward said it has been a dream of his to move into this position since he began at the city, and he’s excited to start working with the scope of the whole city in mind, as opposed to solely the projects he’s focused on as project manager.
Ward pointed to the city’s momentum and the community collaboration as two aspects he’s excited to continue to be a part of.
“The city has formed many great partnerships with the Henderson County Government, Henderson County Schools, our local utilities, and many others,” Ward said in a release. “I hope to continue that work so we can leverage even greater successes for our community.”
He said the new position will be one that mostly supports the vision of the commission and mayor, but that he’s interested in finding efficiencies or different policies that make life easier on employees.
In his current position, Ward oversees the city’s engineering, safety and mass transit teams, he said.
According to the city, Ward in his current position provides management for the design, planning, and construction of special/capital projects, including oversight for the design and construction of new buildings, facilities, parks, industrial sites, sports complexes, sidewalks, and streets/parking lots.
In the assistant city manager position, he’ll continue working with the same departments and add to that the public works, parks and recreation and IT departments, he said.
Ward is married to wife, Hannah. They have two children, Lindleigh, 5, and Caleb, 1.
As part of the job description, the assistant city manager must live within Henderson city limits. Ward currently lives in Owensboro. He said he and his wife have begun to look for a home in Henderson. Mayor Brad Staton said Ward must move to the city within 18 months. He can receive a $5,000 relocation package if he moves to the city within 12 months, the mayor said.
Ward received a master’s in public administration from Western Kentucky University in 2018 and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, also from WKU, in 2013.
Newman has said he’ll retire from the city in early 2025, which would leave his position open. Ward said he’s focused on learning his new role under Newman for the next year, but “would potentially be interested in (the city manager job) in the future.”