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City Manager
Check out the Monterey Morning's with the Manager video playlist, and get the latest city news directly from the City Manager.Executive Management team:
- City Manager
- City Attorney
- Assistant City Manager
- Community Development Director
- Finance Director
- Fire Chief
- Human Resources Director
- Library Director
- Parks and Recreation Director
- Police Chief
- Public Works Director
Meet the City Manager, Hans Uslar
Mr. Uslar began his career with the City of Monterey in 1997 as a management analyst and was promoted through the Plans and Public Works Department. He became Assistant Director of Plans and Public Works in 2008, and Deputy City Manager/Plans and Public Works in 2012.He played a key role in the Presidio of Monterey base operations contract, known as the Monterey Model, a benchmark for public-public partnerships since its start in 1998. He was named Assistant City Manager in 2014 and recently served as the City’s Interim City Manager.
Mr. Uslar’s previous experience includes serving as Project Manager at the Institute for Strategies and Studies in Waldbroel, Germany; Assistant Chief of Branch, Naval Policies and Strategies, Department of Defense, in Bonn, Germany; and Commanding Officer of the German Navy’s ship “Hermelin”, Kiel, Germany.
He holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Educational Theory from Bundeswehr University of Hamburg, Germany, and a Master of Science (MS) degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Management.
Mr. Uslar is a member of the International City Manager’s Association and the Association of Defense Communities.
He lives in Monterey with his wife and they have a son, Ben, who lives and works in Monterey.
Fiscal Year 2023-24 Annual Operating City manager Budget Message
See the full budget document on the finance pages
Message from the City Manager, from the fall 2023 edition of City focus
connecting and engaging
Dear Friends of Monterey,
Once again, we are proud to present to you another edition of our City Focus. Since 1985 (that’s 38 years!) the quarterly City Focus newsletter has been a significant publication we use to connect and inform. A print-only publication for many years, it was converted to a digital-only publication in the early 2000s. We continue to adapt our communications strategy as new tools and best practices come into play. We know that community engagement is critical for transparency, for understanding residents’ needs, and for maintaining a quality of life in every facet of our community. Our website (monterey.org), and our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and now Threads), allow us to reach thousands of individuals both near and far, who are interested in all things Monterey. We also use the popular NextDoor online app to share important information particularly on-topic with locals. Currently we have 33,000 “followers” on Facebook, nearly 14,000 on Twitter, and more than 64,000 folks following us on Instagram. We have more Instagram followers than the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento COMBINED – based on an August 2023 comparison.
Another successful engagement tool are email subscriptions, like the one we use for this e-newsletter. Encouraging residents and others to subscribe to city topics that interest them creates a great connection that benefits both the reader and all of us at City Hall - we get the word out about city programs, services, and events, and you get to be a part of the process and provide feedback so we can do the best job possible.
We have five different options for email subscriptions that cover over two dozen topics - Our 1) main city account, 2) a Harbor & Marina account, 3) a Library account, 4) a Recreation account, and 5) a Sport Center account. We reach a total of more than 35,000 subscribers through these five accounts and have an average open rate of 54 % - that’s 20% above the industry average. Another popular engagement feature is our direct email suggest@monterey.org and associated 24-hour suggest phone line (831.646.3799). We receive dozens of emails weekly and an average of 20 calls a week about every topic you can think of. Every email and every phone call is answered by assigning it to the subject matter expert within our team, and we strive to respond within 48 hours.
Our “Have Your Say Monterey” engagement portal (haveyoursaymonterey.org) is designed to connect you in real time about various projects in the city. The portal provides unique ways to engage on big topics, like an open comments section, an ideas tab, quick surveys, and more. Check out and engage with us on topics such as housing, sea level rise, commercial cannabis, the Laguna Grande Regional Park Plan, and many other timely topics.
In addition, residents have public records available to them anytime, searchable through isearchmonterey.org, our public search engine for meeting agendas, official documents, and records. Lastly, over the past two years, we returned to using print mailings sent to all households, printed in English and Spanish, to ensure that all households know about and have opportunities to engage on specific topics.
Our goal is to be available, approachable, and always be the place to find the answer. The validity of our information is indisputable. Here is my ask – we encourage you to always connect with our team when you see and read statements on social media platforms about our city operations and policies which may cause you concern. Very often well-meant observations shared with others go sideways, turning into misinformation. When this happens, our hope is that you will connect with us to learn about the factual circumstances.
Our engagement platforms are comprehensive and, yes, you can also engage with us using the telephone, meeting us in our offices, seeing us at our outreach tables at special events, attending town hall meetings, or participating in Council, or Boards and Commission meetings!
Enjoy this edition of our City Focus and thank you for subscribing! I hope you all have a wonderful fall season.Hans Uslar
Communications and Outreach
The Communications and Outreach Office is a division of the City Manager's Office, and provides strategic communications, community engagement programs and media relations for the City of Monterey. The office manages the City's websites, government access TV station, and social media channels. Staff produce online newsletters, community surveys, videos, and serve as the Public Information Office in the event of an emergency. Learn more...
