Just like the big cities

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Like other communities around Hamilton County, the Stratford city office-located in a brick building toward the south end of the business district-- is a busy place. There are budgets to be tended to, reports to file, citizens to assist when they stop in, meetings to prepare for, deadlines to meet, and projects to keep an eye on.

Just like in a big city. "We have to do the same reports and abide by the same regulations as a city, but we do it with less manpower," pointed out Stratford city manager Rachel Cahill. "So my job as city manager has a wide variety of tasks."

Right now it's the town's new water filtration plant that is capturing a lot of the city manager's attention when she's at work. The final phase of a three-phase water project for the community, it very recently received a construction permit-which Cahill calls the kiss of approval-from the Department of Natural Resources.

Cahill said the project has gone to bid, and they are hoping for construction to start in the spring. Some 40 percent of the $970,000 cost of the new plant is being funded by stimulus money. "They were looking for shovel-ready projects," she noted, "and we were certainly shovel ready."

The town will work with the MIDAS Council of Governments and MER Engineering on the project.

Cahill, who grew up in Stratford and graduated from Stratford High School, has been city manager since November, 2007. While other employment has been in several businesses in Webster City, she's glad to be back in her hometown, where she lives with husband Pat. The couple has three grown children. "I enjoy working in town. I know lots of the people here," she said. "I like my job. It's challenging and makes me use my mind. There's always something different to do."

Cahill has a supervision and management associate degree. And the city has made sure their city manager has ongoing training courses and classes. "Those help immensely, and I'm very grateful to the council for allowing me to do that. It's extremely vital for the community to be forward in their actions," said Cahill, a member of the Iowa City Managers Association and the Iowa Financial Municipal Officers Association.

As city manager, Cahill reports to the mayor, who chairs monthly city council meetings for the five-person council in Stratford. It's Cahill's job to provide any additional information needed at the council meetings. She said she enjoys working with this council and mayor, whom she terms "very pro-active.

"They're very sincere in what they're doing for the town," she added.

But then so is Cahill, who said she feels that her job allows her to help people. "I try to be very fair and equitable. I treat people the same, with courtesy, like I want to be treated.

"Then I feel like that's the best I can do," she concluded.

Contact Billie Shelton at editor@freemanjournal.net or call 832-4350.