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Editorial: The might of Muckler
Op-Ed · March 02, 2017
The West Branch City Council will face a very important and difficult task replacing City Administrator Matt Muckler.
No city administrator is perfect, yet Muckler brought to the city what it most needed in 2010: Fiscal responsibility, vision, organization and transparency.
Fiscal responsibility: When Muckler came to West Branch in mid-2010, the city had a budget of $2.9 million. Total debt was equal to 131 percent of the budget, and annual principal and interest payments on that debt made up 14 percent of the budget.
In the fiscal year 2017 budget, spending reached $4.4 million. Total debt was down, equal to 111 percent of the budget, and annual principal and interest dropped to 11 percent of the total budget.
In other words, the total budget grew by 52 percent, yet debt only grew by 29 percent. The city’s spending power had increased significantly.
Vision: In 2010, the city was all but ignoring its 14-year-old comprehensive plan and was in desperate need of a new one. Muckler facilitated getting it done and has constantly reminded the council of the goals set forth in it. The comp plan has been tweaked along the way to include plans for a Pedersen Valley park, and, as Muckler heads toward the door, he is encouraging the council to write an updated version. Sidewalks are getting built or fixed, the sewer system is getting repaired faster than ever, and parks have been getting much-needed facelifts throughout.
Organization and transparency: Muckler initiated weekly council reports, briefly telling the council and public about progress in a variety of projects and endeavors. After just a few months at the helm, when a complaint was filed against the police chief, he pushed to make the information public. He also endeavored to load up the city’s web site with resolutions, ordinances, budgets, the comp plan, the capital improvements plan, tax information, video recordings of meetings and lots more.
Muckler did not do this all in a vacuum. Most of this required making the case to council with good research, a good team, and good arguments. Ultimately, the city council must take responsibility for everything it approves, but Muckler has in many ways made decision-making significantly easier with clear, thorough options.
It will be difficult to see these qualities in a resume, yet we would encourage the city council to find a city administrator who can continue these practices.
We wish Matt Muckler the best at his new job in Newton, which he will start in just a few weeks, and we wish the City Council the best in finding a replacement that will help maintain the infrastructure Muckler has laid.
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