BEAUMONT, Texas — The new year is expected to be filled with many new and exciting possibilities for the City of Beaumont.
These upcoming possibilities include a luxury hotel in downtown Beaumont, the revitalization of Crockett Street and the hiring of more city officials. City Manager Kenneth Williams said the projects are a part of a restructuring plan he has for Beaumont.
“We're putting some things in place to offer more efficiency and productivity to the citizens of Beaumont,” Williams said.
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Williams has been working on implementing the changes since he took office four months ago. He believes hiring two assistant city managers and a grant writer will benefit Beaumont.
The city has not had two assistant city managers in years. Those hired to fill the positions are both new and familiar faces.
“We're going to be bringing in Mr. June Ellis, who was a manager in Haskell, Texas,” Williams said. ‘He's going to be one our new city managers, and we're going to use Mr. Chris Boone, who has been with the city of Beaumont for some time now.”
Boone was officially given his new title of assistant city manager of development services in November. Ellis is set to begin his role as assistant city manager of administration on January 3, 2023.
“We'll be working on to restructure departments and duties," Williams said. "Where we have park and recreation, now we'll have parks and then we'll have recreation as a separate departments."
In addition to two assistant city managers, Williams believes the city also needs a grant writer.
“One of the early things we are identifying and considering is the position of a grant writer,” Williams said. “We'll look at that more closely as the new budget approaches. We might even recommend that to city council."
Williams believes the new roles will allow Beaumont to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with larger cities.
“I'm, just as a manager, I'm getting this organization prepared to compete on a world basis,” Williams said.