Jonathan Mitchell, City Manager for the City of Hoisington, Kansas, received the Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award during the American Public Power Association’s National Conference in San Diego, California. The award recognizes managers of small utilities serving fewer than 2,500 meters. These managers have a very small staff and must assume multiple roles. The seven hats they must wear are: planning and design, administration, public relations, field supervision, accounting, human resources, and community leadership.
Mitchell has served as the City Manager for the City of Hoisington, Kansas, since 2009. Throughout this tenure, he has helped the city maintain service levels while restructuring debt, securing grants for key infrastructure, and upgrading the city’s metering technology. As City Manager, Mitchell is responsible for overseeing day-to-day and long-term planning for Hoisington, which included the construction of a new community swimming pool and the installation of a new 3.95-megawatt generator at the city’s power plant, the completion of multiple water line upgrades, and the implementation of a Safe Routes to School program. While serving in Hoisington, Mitchell has been an EMT for the Hoisington Ambulance Service and served on the boards of the Hoisington Area E-Community, Hoisington Chamber of Commerce, Hoisington Commission on Aging, Hoisington Main Street, Kansas Association of City/County Management, Kansas Municipal Energy Agency, Kansas Municipal Utilities and the Kansas Municipal Insurance Trust.
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The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. We represent public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 96,000 people they employ. Our association advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Our members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power.