NW Valley Times

After 30-plus years of public service and more than five years as City Manager at the City of Peoria, Jeff Tyne has announced his retirement.

“Jeff Tyne has been a City Manager second to none, with integrity and professionalism that never wavered,” said Mayor Cathy Carlat. “He assembled an incredible staff and together, they have been a powerhouse that established a commitment to excellence that is deeply embedded throughout our organization.”

Under Tyne’s leadership, the City of Peoria has advanced as a nationally recognized, award-winning community that is known for its exceptional quality of life, safety, and culture of excellence. Tyne aligned the organization’s strategic goals with Mayor and Council’s Livability Initiatives. These initiatives outline seven areas of focus that have been successfully integrated into all major operations, including Peoria’s General Plan, performance measurement systems and operational budget development.

The Peoria Police, Fire-Medical, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation Departments have all received national and international accreditations. In addition, Tyne has remained focused on Peoria’s high fiscal standards, resulting in continued balanced budgets and a AAA bond-rating. These were accomplished without any increase to Peoria’s tax rates, and while retaining the third lowest utility rates in the valley.

“Jeff has done an outstanding job leading our city for the last five years,” said Vice Mayor Bill Patena. “He has built an exceptional team of leaders that have worked closely alongside this Council to guide the success of our community. He will be tremendously missed.”

With a commitment to superior public safety, Tyne has attracted and promoted quality leaders such as Police Chief Art Miller and Fire-Medical Chief Gary Bernard. With this leadership, Peoria now has less crime than five years ago and has continued to enhance and elevate police and fire-medical services.

“Working with Jeff has been a pleasure because he kept the community in mind with every decision that he made,” said Chief Miller. “He is someone we could always turn to for advice and guidance, and he provided the leadership our city needed to thrive. While I am sad that his time for retirement has come, I wish him all the best looking forward.”

“Jeff is a great leader who has always remained focused on the best interests of our citizens and community,” said Chief Bernard. “It has been a pleasure working with Jeff over the past 25 years and I wish him well on his future endeavors.”

During his tenure, Tyne put emphasis on expanding city services and diversifying experiences for Peoria residents. This included elevating the city’s neighborhood and human service functions. Peoria also fostered unique place making amenities that resulted in a broad and diverse community arts presence. The city positioned key commercial strategic parcels to bring viable economic development, and solidified development agreements in key business areas.

In addition, Peoria has built and renovated premier community parks, and established new fixed route transit services. Smart technology investments have combined with an extensive neighborhood engagement focus to better connect citizens to their city. Tyne and his team also received recognition for their capable management through the COVID-19 global pandemic, offering prompt, personalized and unique services to residents and businesses in need. During this time, Peoria welcomed more than 30,000 new residents.

“Over these decades, I have witnessed firsthand the advancement of the Peoria story,” said Tyne. “Through a truly unique partnership of civic-minded elected officials and talented staff, the City was able to forge a special relationship with the citizens they serve. This aligned vision has resulted in one of the most livable communities in the country. With this foundation in place, I feel it is the right time for me to embrace new and exciting life pursuits.”

Appointed as Peoria’s City Manager on June 27, 2017, Tyne has served the citizens of Peoria since 1997 in various leadership roles. Prior to his position as City Manager, Tyne served as Deputy City Manager, Budget Director, and Community Services Director. Tyne also served in a number of external roles and leadership positions throughout the region. Most recently, Tyne served as chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Management Committee, as a Trustee for the Arizona State Retirement System, and as a Board member for the Arizona City/County Management Association. Additionally, Tyne has served as the chair of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) national standing Committee on Economic Development and Capital Planning, and is a past president for the Arizona chapter of GFOA. Tyne is a Credentialed Manager with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and was active with the ICMA Emerging Leaders Development Program.

Tyne earned his Master of Public Administration from Arizona State University, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University. He attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University and has been a training instructor for GFOA in the areas of capital planning, budget and performance management.

Tyne’s last day with the City of Peoria is scheduled for March 3, 2023. A successor has not been announced.

Original source can be found here.