Fort Smith, Ark. – The Fort Smith Board of Directors voted during its regular meeting on Aug. 4 to extend an offer of employment to Jeff Dingman to become the city’s next City Administrator.
Dingman has served as Fort Smith’s Deputy City Administrator since 2011 and is currently serving as Acting City Administrator. Before joining the city, he spent eight years as City Administrator for Baldwin City, Kansas, and four years as Assistant County Administrator for Sebastian County.
City Director Lee Kemp, who served as the Board’s liaison throughout the nationwide search process, said the decision followed an extensive effort to identify the city’s next chief administrative officer.
“We have done our due diligence through a nationwide search; our goal as the Board of Directors was to bring this process to conclusion,” Kemp said.
Kemp added that the Board’s next responsibility will be establishing clear expectations and measurable goals for Dingman if an agreement is finalized.
“Our responsibility is establishing performance expectations and measurable goals for Mr. Dingman,” Kemp said. “The City Administrator reports directly to the Board, so it is very important that we provide clear expectations, measurable goals, and actionable direction.”
The Board will now work with Colin Baenziger & Associates, the executive search firm that assisted with the recruitment process, to negotiate and finalize Dingman’s employment agreement.
If finalized, Dingman will officially assume the role of City Administrator after serving the city in multiple leadership positions over the past 15 years.