City Engineer Ken Gill has been promoted to the new combined position of Public Works Director/City Engineer.
Gill’s municipal engineering career spans more than 30 years and includes experience in areas ranging from water, drainage and transportation to design projects for a variety of City departments.
“We’re excited for Ken and his progression,” said City Manager Jesús Garza. “Because of this reorganization, we now have a professional engineer as the director of Public Works, which will allow us to make better use of Ken’s skill set and knowledge as we respond to our maintenance and capital needs. The City is fortunate to have experienced and knowledgeable employees like Ken whom we can entrust with new and changing leadership roles.”
Gill started working for the City of Victoria in 1991 as assistant director of Utilities-Engineering. At that time, he said, Utilities managed its own engineering projects separately from Public Works.
When he became City Engineer in 1993, Gill worked to bring all of the City’s engineering functions under the Engineering Division, promoting communication and cohesion between City departments and ensuring that the Engineering Division would be treated as the go-to source for City consulting services.
“We do projects for all departments, not just Public Works,” Gill said.
Gill’s promotion is a reflection and a continuation of his efforts to centralize the City’s engineering services.
“This new position brings together the work of the Engineering Division, projects and estimates, with the more day-to-day management of Public Works,” Gill said. “As Public Works Director/City Engineer, my goal is to focus the City’s resources on our capital improvements and infrastructure maintenance.”
Gill had been serving as interim director of Public Works for about a month, but his collaboration with Public Works goes back much further.
“We always were kind of combined,” he said. “I’ve been working with Public Works for longer than 15 years. My role has been an assistant-type role (to the Public Works director).”
Gill’s notable accomplishments with the City include developing the Master Drainage Plan and the Design Standards and Standard Details, providing developers with a clear set of rules to follow for water, sewage, drainage and traffic.
Gill holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and is a registered professional engineer.