Ammon announces hiring of new City Administrator
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The following is a news release from the city of Ammon.
AMMON — The City of Ammon is pleased to announce that Micah Austin will be joining our staff the end of March as the new City Administrator, taking over the role when the current Administrator/Planning Director Ron Folsom retires at the beginning of May.
Folsom has been with the City of Ammon since 2001, and prior to that time had been on the Ammon Planning and Zoning Board since 1988.
Currently, Micah Austin is the Planning and Building Director with the City of Ketchum, where he rewrote the 1974 land use ordinance, eliminating more than 200 pages of the zoning code and modernizing the structure and layout of the ordinance. Those efforts were recognized by the Association of Idaho Cities, which awarded Ketchum with the best zoning code rewrite of 2016.
Austin also led the drafting of zoning regulations dealing with design review, floodplain, dark sky lighting, snow storage, signage, and gas stations. He also helped supervised the effort to designate Ketchum as an International Dark Sky Community last year, making it the first dark sky reserve in the nation. These zoning changes have helped to enhance economic development opportunities and bring regulations into alignment with Ketchum’s Comprehensive Plan.
Prior to working in Ketchum, Austin worked for the City of Hailey and the City of Jerome.
Austin has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Utah State University in English Literature and a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University with a focus on city management. While earning his degree from Indiana University, Austin worked for the Town of Ellettsville and City of Bloomington, Indiana, and the City of Henderson, Kentucky. Following graduation from Indiana University, moved to Idaho to work for the City of Jerome. Austin is an outdoorsman and enjoys skiing, hunting, fishing, backpacking, birding, and anything involving his family.
“I am truly grateful for my time serving the Ketchum community and all the work that has been accomplished,” Austin said in a statement, adding the move is largely driven by family and career growth. “While it’s difficult to move on, I’m also eager to tackle new challenges and responsibilities with the City of Ammon.”
About this appointment, Mayor Sean Coletti stated, “I am confident that Micah Austin’s experience will quickly prove to be a great asset for the City of Ammon. He is a team player and a leader. I am excited for the community and the city staff to get to know and work with him in this new role.”