The incoming Park City manager secured the formal appointment on Thursday evening and is expected to start at the Marsac Building shortly.
The Park City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Adam Lenhard as the municipal government’s top staffer. He is slated to begin on March 31.
Lenhard was in attendance on Thursday and received a round of applause as the appointment was made.
“I am all in, 100%,” he told the elected officials.
Lenhard said he is originally from Georgia, but Utah is his home. He offered brief comments about his background, noting his service as the St. George city manager and the city manager in Clearfield. Lenhard did not address his upcoming role as the city manager in Park City, but said municipal staffers have extended their hospitality.
Mayor Ryan Dickey said Lenhard brings a track record of positive, people-first style and said he has “incredible character.”
Dickey also honored the work of Jodi Emery, who has served as the acting city manager since September. She also received applause.
The City Council also approved an employment agreement with Lenhard, setting a base salary of $250,000 annually with the possibility of bonuses and raises.
Lenhard will succeed Matt Dias, who left the municipal government in September for a technology startup.
Lenhard, at the time of his selection, said in an interview that there is a “new team” in the Park City government and officials “get to come in and build that team together.”
He spent a ski season in the late 1990s working at Park City Mountain while in college. He lived in Prospector for less than a year in 2005 while working for a Heber City civil-engineering firm.
In the earlier interview, Lenhard contrasted Park City and St. George by explaining that there are fewer natural barriers to growth there than in the Park City area.
Lenhard’s arrival will, in some ways, complete a stretch of significant change in the municipal government. Dickey took office as the mayor in early January, and two members of the City Council — Diego Zegarra and Molly Miller — are in the opening months of their service.
He will lead a staff at a crucial time for the municipal government and the wider community. There have been persistent questions about the pace of progress of the municipal government and the current slate of elected officials appears poised to more aggressively address a variety of issues.
Lenhard will likely be tasked with pressing ahead with the difficult housing and transportation efforts, two top-tier issues for the community. He will also be a key figure as the municipal government proceeds with the early steps of the preparations for the 2034 Winter Olympics.