The City of Odessa is losing another department head.
The City of Manhattan, Kansas, announced Thursday that Utilities Director Kevin Niles has been named the Director of Public Utilities for that city with an anticipated start date of Sept. 3.
According to records obtained by the Odessa American under the Texas Public Information Act Friday, Niles submitted his resignation letter on Aug. 15 and said he’d stay until Aug. 23 to ensure a smooth transition. Deputy City Manager Gapi Bernal decided Friday, Aug. 16, would be his last day.
In his letter, Niles said his decision wasn’t an easy one because his time with the city has been “incredibly rewarding,” but he wanted to pursue other opportunities “that align more closely with my personal and professional goals.”
He further said he was proud of the work that was accomplished during his time with the city and thanked Bernal for the opportunities he was given.
Niles was hired by the City of Odessa on July 5, 2023. Up until that point, Tom Kerr was both utilities director and public works director.
Kerr announced Sept. 7, 2023, he was retiring, just two months after the city hired Niles to assume half of Kerr’s job responsibilities and seven months after Kerr quit in the middle of a city council work session only to immediately change his mind.
Mayor Javier Joven and Councilmember Chris Hanie had been grilling Kerr about road and waterline projects when Kerr lost his cool.
“I want to tell all of you all right now. You have my immediate notification of retirement. I’ve been through enough stress. I thank you all very much. I give you two weeks notice as a matter,” Kerr said.
Niles’ job didn’t get any easier.
According to records obtained by the Odessa American through the Texas Public Information Act, from Jan. 1 through June 30, 92 water lines broke in the City of Odessa resulting in the loss of 6.1 million gallons of water because crews were unable to isolate many of the breaks due to faulty valves.
Last month, the council agreed to set aside $25 million for valve and water line replacement projects and contractors will be starting with the former.
Niles marks the first department head to leave in awhile. The city experienced a particularly rough 2023 when it came to turnovers.
The Odessa American reported that between December 2022 when the city council fired City Manager Michael Marrero and City Attorney Natasha Brooks and January 2023, 47 percent or 18 of the City of Odessa’s 38 department heads had been replaced.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual average job opening rate in state and local government has ranged from as low as 2.6% in 2018 to as high as 4.5% in 2022.
