Council Authorizes Shuttleworth to Hire City's New IT Director, Who Could be Introduced at Next Meeting
By Chris Johnson on May 20, 2025
The City of Bridgeport moved closer to hiring a new IT Director thanks to a decision by Council during Monday’s regular meeting.
The governing body authorized interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth to make the hire, a formality that took place due to the length of time Shuttleworth, who is also the city’s Parks and Recreation Director, has been in the interim City Manager role./joe%205-19-25.JPG)
“According to the charter, in the first six months of any City Manager, there are certain things you have to have Council approve,” Shuttleworth said. “We have a contingent offer based on Council approval. We will move forward with that and I will probably announce or even have that person at the next Council meeting.
“This person was very impressive and the skill was very comparable. A lot of the equipment right down to the brand and models we use, this person has hands-on experience with. We’re hoping this is a very good fit for the city.”
Shuttleworth mentioned in his City Manager’s report that the search for another department head will begin soon as the opening for the City Engineer position will likely be posted today.
Also in his report, Shuttleworth praised the Police Department for their role in responding to a domestic disturbance last Friday and the role of the Fire Department for assistance provided to Allegheny County, Md., during last week’s flooding in that area.
“It goes to show how our law enforcement and emergency services work together for the good of our collective communities,” Shuttleworth said.
Shuttleworth shared some voting and election information courtesy of City Clerk Lauren Rogers.
Today is the last day to register to vote and be eligible to vote in the June 10 election. Early voting will begin May 28 and go through June 7, excluding Sunday, June 1. Early voting will be available from 9 a.. to 5 p.m. at City Hall.
On the day of the June 10 election, the voting polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
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The City Manager’s report also noted that this is National Public Works Week and a groundbreaking ceremony for Mon Health’s facility at Charles Pointe near Menards has been set for June 4.
A highly-anticipated ribbon cutting ceremony for the Medbrook Children’s Charity Inclusive Playground will take place this Thursday and that was the focus of the report by Mayor Andy Lang.
“After two and a half years of gathering up funds, budgets, working with contractors and various people in the community, we are going to have the dedication, ribbon cutting for the inclusive playground at The Bridge Sports Complex,” Lang said. “We are excited about it and we hope the community comes out.”
The ceremony will start at 5 p.m. Thursday, with the ribbon to be cut at approximately 5:15 p.m. The event is being held in conjunction with season-ending activities for the Challenger League.
Also during Monday’s meeting, Council approved a revision to the general fund budget for 2024-25 that covered a variety of items.
“This budget revision addresses some revenue we didn’t have in the budget, Finance Director Sharon Hinkle said.
A FEMA reimbursement of $11,825 will be used for training for the city’s fire department.
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Additional training for the Bridgeport Police Department will be available thanks to a $15,000 settlement from the Lipitor price fixing lawsuit sent to the city from West Virginia Attorney General’s Office.
A $1,792 reimbursement payment from the City of Anmoore will be used to help Public Works.
Other improvements for city departments from the sale of fixed assets and insurance reimbursement include a boat engine for the fire department, a salt spreader for Public Works and drones for Emergency Services. The funds from the sale of each of those items will be put directly back into the departments from which they came.
Council also agreed to provide preliminary approval for an alley abandonment request on Newton Avenue and approved the city’s salary ordinance for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Editor's Note: Top photo is of Shuttleworth, middle photo of Lang and bottom photo is of Councilman Clayton Rice.
