By PublicCEO Editor Dominick Beaudine
Last month, the City of Williams appointed Yvonne Kimball as its new city manager. With over 20 years of executive experience in local government, Kimball holds full administrative authority over City operations and finances as per the Williams Municipal Code.
Prior to this role, Kimball served as the city manager of Jackson, California, from 2017 to 2023. During that six-year tenure, the City reported an improved financial position and the completion of major capital projects involving water and sewer systems, roads and public facilities funded by several million dollars in secured grants.
Kimball’s municipal management experience also includes serving as the city manager of Morro Bay, town manager of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona and three years as city manager of Bowling Green, Florida. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a graduate certificate in Urban and Regional Planning.
To ensure administrative consistency, the City Council adopted a resolution recognizing “city administrator” and “city manager” as interchangeable titles. This move prevents potential conflicts with existing grants, contracts and municipal code references. Kimball begins overseeing operations and finances immediately; she manages park improvements, upcoming grant applications and the bowling alley demolition and planning work.
Moreover, the City of Williams intentionally delayed a March funding application to allow Kimball to oversee the next phase of the E Street redesign project, which includes a required median household income study. This project is a primary focus for the new administration. The multiyear infrastructure initiative is supported by a $9.3 million California Transportation Commission grant and $1 million in federal funding.
Planned improvements for the City extend from downtown to Nicholas Drive and include installing a storm drainage system to replace open ditches, new pedestrian and bicycle paths and replacing water and sewer mains.
Financially, the City of Williams closed 2025 with $10.7 million in total cash and investments. The General Fund balance stood at approximately $1.96 million after commitments, with sales and transient occupancy tax revenues meeting projections. Expenditures remain slightly below budget, and water and sewer enterprise funds are within expected ranges. Moving forward, Kimball and the Finance Committee are scheduled to review the City’s investment mix between LAIF and California CLASS to optimize returns.