After a months-long search, Plain City officials decided the best person to lead the village was the one already in place.
During its most recent meeting, council voted unanimously to hire Haley Lupton as the village administrator. The decision followed an hour-long executive session with council, Mayor Jody Carney and Law Director Paul Lafayette.
“We are very excited to have her,” Mayor Jody Carney said Wednesday. “It’s only going to go up from here.”
Lupton was one of two finalists, narrowed down from applicant pool of 30 candidates.
Lupton was appointed to the position by council in October 2021 following the resignation of Former Village Administrator Nathan Cahall.
Carney said Lupton’s performance in the role on an interim basis allowed officials to see her ability to lead the village.
Lupton exemplifies a “community minded” leader, Carney said, who can build relationships with residents and business owners, and act as a “driver of staff.”
“Our staff morale is very high,” Carney said, adding that employees feel “very valued and appreciated” under Lupton’s leadership.
Carney added that Lupton delegates responsibilities and creates an environment of “staff members who are team players.”
Since Lupton assumed the administrator role on an interim basis, Carney said she has seen increased goal-setting and a focus on “big picture” planning among village staff.
Carney described Lupton as “a self-starter” who ensured that all village projects that were underway when she was appointed, were completed on schedule. Beyond that, Carney said Lupton initiated Uptown redesign projects and village branding initiatives.
Although council ultimately settled on an in-house candidate, Carney said she felt a comprehensive search process, which involved creating an administrator search committee and hiring a consultant, was worthwhile.
“In the past, people were appointed by being in the area at the right time,” Carney said.
The search process allowed officials to “make sure that we did our due diligence” and feel confident that the candidate hired will serve residents well, Carney said.
She said council empowered Lupton to evaluate staff needs to determine which positions she feels need to be filled. The mayor said she is not certain if Lupton will recommend hiring an individual to the role she previously held, management analyst and council clerk.
Carney also noted that Lupton’s compensation as village administrator has not yet been determined, but will likely be discussed by council at its upcoming work session on June 1.
Prior to joining village staff in January 2021 as the management analyst and council clerk, Lupton worked as a community development analyst for the State of Ohio Development Services Agency; assistant director of real estate for the Franklin County Auditor; and Board of Revision clerk and supervisor for the Franklin County Auditor.
She holds a master of public administration from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication, with a minor in political science, from The Ohio State University.
In other business:
– Council scheduled the public hearing for the zoning text/development plan amendment for Darby Station for June 27, at the regular council meeting which begins at 6:30 p.m.
– Council unanimously approved a time extension and waiver of extension fees for the Oak Grove Residential Development.
Faye Cox, attorney for developer Evergreen Land Company, noted that the final development plan for the project was approved in November 2020.
As the developer began to proceed with engineering plans, they were alerted of an “issue with taps” by council officials. While council finalized plans for the wastewater treatment plant update, Cox said developers were uncertain as to when there would be enough taps to accommodate the project.
The developer requested an extension, as the project is required to move forward within three years of the approval, and a waiver of the $750 extension fee.
Cox said the waiver was requested because the delay was not due to the developer, but a result of waiting on the new wastewater treatment plant.
“Obviously, it’s kind of our delay,” said Council President Michael Terry, who voiced support for granting the waiver.
Cox noted that the hope is to move forward with the development as quickly as possible.
“When you guys are ready, we’re ready,” she said, adding, “We don’t make money with the land sitting there undeveloped.”
Oak Grove is slated to be a single-family residential development located on the west side of U.S. 42, south of the Perry Pike and U.S. 42 intersection. It will have 235 lots on 98.4 acres.