The City of Boulder’s Director of Public Works for Utilities Ned Williams announced that he will retire as of Oct. 28, 2011. The City of Boulder will initiate a hiring process to fill this key position in the organization.

Williams joined the city organization in 1980. From 1980 to 1990, Williams worked as the coordinator of projects and as a project manager with the Transportation and Utilities divisions of the Public Works Department. He was an assistant director from 1990 to 2001 and has been the Director of Public Works for Utilities since 2001.

Prior to working for the City of Boulder, Williams was a project engineer at Shive-Hattery & Associates in Davenport, Iowa, and a design/project engineer at HNTB in Kansas City, Mo.

Williams has a bachelor’s of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a licensed professional engineer and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Works Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation. Williams is also a past officer in local chapters and professional societies. Williams has authored, published and presented technical papers for regional and national conferences.

”I’ve been fortunate to work with many knowledgeable and experienced members of the public and city staff during my time with the city,” said Williams. “Together, we’ve been able to develop, implement and advance several key programs that are very important to the health and safety of the community; rebuild major components of our infrastructure, secure a healthy and positive financial status in each utility, implement a conservation-focused billing system using water budgets, and achieve significant results in water conservation.”

“The city’s water, wastewater and stormwater and flood management utilities are well managed and I thank Ned for all he has done for the city,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “The director of Public Works for Utilities is a challenging position and we will proceed with a national hiring search. Executive Director of Public Works Maureen Rait will be working with me to hire the next director. I value inclusive hiring processes and will appreciate the involvement of key stakeholders, including the Water Resources Advisory Board and staff.”

“I’ve enjoyed working with Ned and will continue to rely on his expertise during this transition,” said Rait. “In addition to filling this key position, over the next four months, Ned and I will work with City Council, the Water Resources Advisory Board and staff on several flood studies, the consideration of a critical facilities ordinance, and a water utility master plan.”

A hiring decision involving the city’s next director of Public Works for Utilities is anticipated to be made during September.