The city of Homewood has appointed Cale Smith, a former engineer and city employee, as interim city manager.
In his past role as the director of engineering and zoning with the city of Homewood, Smith worked to shape the city’s infrastructure and growth. As city manager, Smith will oversee day-to-day operations of the city government and manage the city budget.
Smith said he looks forward to collaborating with the city and community members.
“At the end of the day, people want to be heard and they want to participate in decision-making processes,” Smith told AL.com.
“I think that ultimately the city manager’s role is to figure out the best way for community engagement, how to organize information and how to funnel that up through council and set them on a clear path of what the priorities should be.”
Smith’s goals
As of November, the city council was reduced from 11 members to four, each designated to represent one of the four wards.
Officials say the change will increase efficiency within the city government.
Smith, who was appointed on Nov. 3, will be the first city manager to facilitate this change in local government. He said he wants to make the transition smooth for the person who takes on the permanent position.
The city council will decide who to appoint as a permanent city manager.
Smith said his goals for his time as city manager include reviewing the city budget to ensure it is fiscally responsible, and facilitating the creation of a comprehensive master plan for the city, which the council will begin to take public input on in January.
“That’s one of my goals is to make sure that it kicks off in a seamless way,” Smith said.
So far in his term, Smith said he has visited other municipalities that also have a council-manager form of government, including Jefferson County, Vestavia Hills and Pelham.
“I’ve just been trying to learn as much as I can in this past month and really understand what I can do in this interim role that would be beneficial to somebody who’s gonna come in as a permanent city manager,” Smith said.
He has also visited each city of Homewood department to better understand operations.
“I’ve enjoyed going into these departments and understanding how each one operates and functions,” Smith said. “That’s what I have done over the past month, is to try to figure out ways to get our groups to work together. Fortunately for me, all of our department heads are super qualified and really, really wonderful.”
Smith said he looks forward to facilitating a community survey to understand their needs.
“I think that would help the council’s work and will align our vision with what the community needs are,” Smith said. “We can hear specific feedback from the community so we know where to spend our resources.”
Smith said that above all, he wants to ensure the city of Homewood continues making smart and responsible decisions with community members.
“I’m excited to be here. I love this community,” Smith said. “As we look to the future, there are certainly opportunities to grow in Homewood…We’re all working together and doing the best we can for this city.”
Smith’s background
Smith, a Greenville, Alabama native, moved to Homewood in 2004 after earning his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University.
He spent 17 years working as an engineer, serving as a project manager for consulting firms around the Birmingham metro area and Southeast region.
He has managed projects and budgets for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, as well as Aldi, Walmart and Target.
“My favorite part of being a civil engineer has been the projects that I’ve worked on where there has been community input and collaboration,” Smith said.
He said one of his favorite projects was with the Montgomery Housing Authority.
“We were able to work with those folks and listen to them and understand how to make their communities better,” Smith said. “I think I’ve always done a good job at listening to the community’s needs.”
Since 2021, Smith has served as the director of engineering and zoning with the city of Homewood. He has managed more than $15 million in capital projects across the city, according to the city.
Smith replaces Homewood’s first ever city manager Glen Adams whose contract expired in November.
“Cale Smith has been an invaluable department head for almost five years as Homewood’s city engineer, and I am excited to see him take on the role of interim city manager,” Mayor Jennifer Andress said in a statement.
“Cale knows how to lead, how to put processes in place to make our city better, and has a servant heart for the people of Homewood. I look forward to working with him in this capacity.”
