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Konrad Hildebrandt
Reference Notes
TAB 6
Mr. Hildebrandt did a fantastic job managing the City’s employees. Occasionally his
relationship with individual staff members could become strained when those employees did not
get what they wanted but, overall, he was fair and pushed his staff to produce a quality product.
Customer service is a major priority for Mr. Hildebrandt. Every Friday from 10 am to 4 pm he
kept his schedule open so residents could come in on their own time and discuss their concerns.
This practice was well known in the community; so, many people took advantage of the
opportunity to speak with him. He never lost his temper, no matter how disrespectful or mean
the resident became. He allowed them to vent then calmed them down by carefully and
thoroughly describing why the City had acted in a certain manner One situation that illustrates
his ability to work well with citizens occurred when a private resident had been digging in his
backyard and hit an aquifer. The resident went to the Public Words Director demanding the City
pay for his damages. The Director explained that the homeowner would have to cover the
damages because the event happened on private property. The man was very upset and went to
Mr. Hildebrandt hoping to receive a different answer. Unfortunately for him, Mr. Hildebrandt
backed up his Director because the city policy clearly stated that residents had to pay for such
damages on private property. Mr. Hildebrandt settled the man down and got him to understand
the City's perspective. When the man left he was not happy about paying to fix the aquifer, but
he understood why he had to pay and was no longer angry with the City.
Cedar Hills is in a great financial situation due to Mr. Hildebrandt’s efforts. He has a strong
understanding of financial principles. In fact, if Mr. Kirk had one negative comment to make
about him, it would be that he did not allow his Finance Director to speak for herself when the
Council asked her questions. Mr. Hildebrandt tended to jump in and answer the questions for
her. However, his financial skills helped the City receive audit awards year after year.
Mr. Hildebrandt was not the best public speaker but was confident in his knowledge of the issues
and represented Cedar Hills professionally. He always kept Council informed. In one particular
case he called Mr. Kirk in the middle of the night to inform him of a successful police operation
that had just broken up a prostitution ring. Mr. Hildebrandt did not want Mr. Kirk to be shocked
by the news when he turned on his television in the morning; so he woke him up to tell him.
Mr. Hildebrandt accomplished a great deal during his ten years as City Manager. One of his
biggest accomplishments was the construction of an independent well system. The project cost
$1.7 million and was incredibly intricate. Cedar Hills sits on a fault line; so the City had to place
its water pipes below that fault to ensure they would not be severed if the fault shifted and caused
an earthquake. He also set up backup generators to protect the City in case of power outages.
Mr. Kirk and Mr. Hildebrandt did not always see eye to eye, but they developed a positive
working rapport. Mr. Hildebrandt has the background, knowledge, and experience necessary to
be a phenomenal City Manager.
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