SULTAN – Deborah Knight, an assistant city manager of Woodinville, will soon start as Sultan’s new city administrator.
“Sultan, like many, many other cities, is struggling” with growth, said Knight, of Snohomish.
Knight, 43, has worked for the city of Woodinville in King County for the last 11 years. She has also served as public works director, among other positions.
Like other cities in the region, Woodinville has grown fast. Knight has a good grip on the state’s Growth Management Act and its effects and requirements for local governments, Sultan Mayor Ben Tolson said.
“I feel positive about the decision and choice we’ve made,” Tolson said.
Knight will start in Sultan on Nov. 20. Her annual pay will be $87,500, city clerk Laura Koenig said.
By hiring Knight, the city made one of the changes recommended by a consultant. The consultant’s report, released in January, said the city should replace the city administrator-planner position with a city administrator and a community development director. The report also said the city should replace the clerk-treasurer position with a city clerk and a finance director.
The city has yet to hire a permanent finance director, Tolson said. It also wants to hire a planner.
The report cost the city about $29,000.
The personnel changes are expected to cost the city an additional $263,000 annually, but the report also suggested methods to increase revenue, including creating a 6 percent utility tax.
City officials hope to follow the report’s recommendations to improve the city’s operations and finances.
In 2004 and 2005, the state Auditor’s Office cited several shortcomings in the city’s auditing and financial practices. Those issues included moving budgeted money from one department fund to another, meaning that the city doesn’t completely monitor or control expenses within each department’s budget.
Knight said she’s aware that the city has gone through a difficult period, but she believes city officials are working to improve the situation.
“I was less concerned about those issues,” she said.
Knight said she would like to start her new job by getting to know people in the community and studying the issues the city faces.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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