City Administrator

Meet the Nephi City Administrator - Seth Atkinson

Nephi City’s current City Administrator is Seth Atkinson.  He grew up in the Salt Lake area in Utah and attended Utah State University.  There he earned a dual Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and Economics as well as a Master of Science Degree in Applied Economics.  He began his public sector career as a Budget Analyst with Park City, Utah.  From there he moved to Oregon where he became the Finance Director for a small city outside of the Portland metro area called Sandy.  He was appointed as City Manager for Sandy in 2013.  In 2017 he moved back to Utah and became the City Administrator for Nephi City.  He enjoys the work associated with local government and seeing tangible improvements in a community.  Nephi has many amenities to offer its residents and he is excited to be working for such an amazing city.  

What does a City Administrator Do?

Nephi City operates under a Six Member Council form of Government.  The City Council makes up five of the Council members, the sixth is the Mayor who is the chief executive of the city.  The Nephi City Council has chosen to also appoint a City Administrator to provide professional management to the departments of the city.  The duties of the City Administrator are found in the Nephi City Code 1-6A-6 and are listed below:

A. Attend all meetings of the city council, with the right to take part in the discussion but not to vote.

B. Recommend and administer standards, rules and procedures for the personnel system of the city, including the documentation of performance in the form of performance appraisals, commendations and reprimands.

C. Act as purchasing agent for the city according to the provision of the city purchasing ordinance.

D. Be the budget officer for the city, including preparation of city budgets, exercise of budgetary control over the city departments and services, responsibility for the fiscal operations of the city, and advising the mayor and city council of the financial condition and needs of the city.

E. Carry out all policies and programs established by the governing body.

F. Notify the mayor immediately upon the city administrator becoming aware of any emergency situation existing in any department or office under his supervision, where the emergency condition requires or will likely require future action on the part of the governing body, or where the emergency threatens to interrupt normal city operations. If the mayor takes no action, and the administrator feels the city council should be informed, he or she may so advise the city council.

G. Be the chief appointed administrative officer of the city. (The mayor is the chief executive of the city, with final administrative authority. It is the intent of this article that professional management be provided through the appointment of a city administrator whose selection is based on specific qualifications. The city administrator shall be the chief appointed administrative officer of the city. The position of city administrator is intended to complement the political leadership of the mayor by providing management expertise. The administrator works under the direction of the mayor, and the mayor carries out his administrative duties through the city administrator.)

H. Have authority, supervision and direction over all city departments and offices, to direct officers and employees of the city through the designated department heads, and to oversee and evaluate the performance of all departments and offices.

I. Make recommendations on the selection and hiring and firing of city employees and officers. (The authority for hiring and firing all city employees rests with the governing body.)

J. Adhere to the city management code of ethics as adopted and published by the international city management association (ICMA).