MATTHEW S.

LANE
123 Fulton Street
St. Charles, MI 48655
989-397-6350
mattlane10@gmail.com

January 9, 2018

City of Alma
525 E. Superior Street
Alma, MI 48801

I REQUEST CONFIDENTIALITY PER SECTION 8 (F) OF THE MICHIGAN OPEN MEETINGS ACT

Dear Mayor Mapes and City Commission,

I would like to take a moment to express my interest in becoming your next City Manager. The more I learn about
and experience Alma, the more I am drawn to what is clearly an exciting and engaging community. City-wide
events, volunteer opportunities, rich history, professional public service and opportunities for life-long learning are
exactly what I look for in a community, both in my career and in a place to call home. I grew up in Mid-Michigan-
about an hour north in a town called Harrison. I grew up in this part of the state and I am excited for the opportunity
to get just a little closer to home. But, I am not just drawn to this position because of the obvious strengths of the
community. Alma, as with all communities, also has its challenges. I am energized by the opportunity to help the
city overcome those challenges and to work together with you to write the next great chapter of the city’s history.

To that end, I believe my experiences have perfectly prepared me to take on this crucial leadership role. I have a
fresh perspective, an eagerness to work collaboratively, and an unquestionable sense of ethics and integrity. My
previous positions have thrust me into the trenches of managing municipal governments of different sizes and
complexities. I have experience with almost every function and service of local government and pride myself on
being an open, approachable and hands-on leader. I am a problem-solver, a consensus-builder and having
contrasting experiences working in small communities, like St. Charles, and urban centers, like Saginaw, has given
me a well-rounded perspective that is surely difficult to find.

As Village Manager in St. Charles, my team has been able to implement many “best practices” within the
organization. We have been able to accomplish many great things based on the mission and vision established by the
Village Council. Employee morale is on the rise. The Village finances are healthier than they have been in years
and the community is coming together to kick-start new events and to breathe life into old ones. The Village has
taken a more strategic approach to public service delivery and has expanded its community engagement efforts by
utilizing technology and making everyone responsible for being the face of the community. We have strengthened
our regional partnerships in economic development, solid waste pick-up, water distribution, parks and recreation and
fire services. Many goals set out for the Village have been met through hard work and collaboration. This has
helped me discover my own values, interests and style as a person and as a professional. Now, I am moving forward
to new opportunities in life and career. Leading and working hand-in-hand with the experienced and professional
team at the City of Alma is exactly what I’ve been looking for.

I would like to thank you in advance for your consideration. I can be reached most easily by e-mail at
mattlane10@gmail.com or by telephone at 989-397-6350. Again, I appreciate you taking the time to review my
qualifications. I look forward to hearing back soon and hopefully meeting with you for an interview.

Sincerely,

Matthew S. Lane
MATTHEW S. LANE 123 Fulton Street
St. Charles, MI 48655
989-397-6350
mattlane10@gmail.com
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

KEY SKILLS

Public Budgeting; Performance Management; Grants Administration; Policy Research & Analysis; Personnel Management; Community and
Economic Development; Public Relations; Contract Negotiations; Strategic Planning; Inclusive Management Style; Advanced Competence in
Technology; Excellent Written and Oral Communication; Grant Writing; Intergovernmental Relations; and Coalition Building

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Village of St. Charles—Village Manager—(Population: 2,054; Taxable Value: 37.5 Million) November 2015 – Present

Primary Responsibilities: Manage all aspect of day-to-day operations of the Village as Chief Administrative Officer, including budget
development and management, purchasing, community development, media relations, human resources and personnel management. Act on behalf of,
carry out the instructions of and be the authorized representative of the village council, be solely responsible to the president and council for directing
all the departments of the village, attend all meetings of council and all committee and subcommittees, act as DDA Executive Director, Park Director,
Street Administrator, Commissioner of Noxious Weeds, Ordinance Enforcement Officer and Zoning Administrator. Recommend to the council the
adoption of such measures as may be necessary or expedient for improvement or betterment of the village. Present to the council periodic reports
and special reports when requested by the council covering the activities of the village.

Major Accomplishments:

 Managed realignment of the budget process and structure to more accurately account for recurring expenditures, removing pressure from
the General Fund and allowing for more self-sustaining financial models in all funds.
 Created and began implementing strategy to address unfunded liabilities by identifying budgetary savings and operational efficiencies,
increasing our contribution to unfunded pension liabilities from $12,000 to over $120,000 annually.
 Managed energy efficiency project retrofitting all streetlights to LED, saving over $15,000 per year in energy costs.
 Created and manage St. Charles Farmers’ Marketplace, increasing traffic to Coal Miners’ parks and seasonal businesses in the Village.
 Planned, organized and managed community-wide strategic planning and goal setting session, as well as drafted the first council-approved
three-year strategic plan.
 Managed a road reconstruction project using nearly $500,000 in grant funds.
 Managed award of $500,000 Storm Water, Asset Management and Wastewater (SAW) Program Grant
 Created strategy to leverage SAW funding to complete asset management plans for the drinking water system and street system to create a
comprehensive overview of future capital needs.
 Managed both Park Plan and Masterplan updates, in-house.
 Managed the strategic rebranding of St. Charles Police Department using updated processes and procedures, social media and community
engagement efforts.
 Identified outdated and inconsistent personnel policies and managed the complete re-write of the Village Personnel Handbook.
 Initiated and Managed Village transition from old Fund Balance accounting software to BS&A.
 Established new focus on community and economic development by strengthening a partnership with Saginaw Future, Inc., a county-wide
economic development agency and cultivated new development contacts with the State of Michigan, Saginaw County and other regional
partners.

City of Saginaw--Administrative Budget Analyst—(Population: 50,790; Taxable Value: $497 Million) November 2012 - November 2015

Primary Responsibilities: Co-manage the city’s $111 million budget; coordinate the city’s data-collection program CitiStat; act as city’s grant
administrator responsible for managing over $20 million in grant funding; serve on city’s purchasing committee; coordinate various analyses
including organizational development, personnel restructuring and revenue and expenditure forecasting; manage special projects to include
development, research and recommendation of ordinances and administrative policies; coordinate the Office of Management and Budget intern
program supervising the workflow of multiple student volunteers; coordinate and deliver department and division head training sessions for
budgeting, grants, and performance management processes.

Major Accomplishments:

 Assisted in balancing FY2013/2014 budget despite a $3.2 million structural deficit and saved $1.2 million in general fund undesignated
fund balance at the end of the same fiscal year, and balanced each budget since.
 Created and coordinate the OMB management internship program with a current success rate of 100% for individuals leaving the program
with full or part-time employment in the field of their choice
 Managed research and analysis of $1.8 million street light retrofit project which is projected to save over $400,000 annually in utility costs
 Concurrently managed research, analysis, and development of street light special assessment project which, if implemented, will create
immediate general fund savings of over $800,000
 Implemented six-year capital improvement plan that incorporated not only descriptions of requests but photographs that depict the need for
investment

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MATTHEW S. LANE 123 Fulton Street
St. Charles, MI 48655
989-397-6350
mattlane10@gmail.com
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Leveraged various technological advances to cut down on paper and ink usage by over $4,000 annually
 Introduced project management software Producteev to OMB for efficient management of departmental projects
 Using BS&A Financial Software, was able to work with department heads and division heads to become more actively involved in budget
development and monitoring
 Co-authored Saginaw’s winning proposal for the Michigan Municipal League’s Place Plan initiative for 2015 which will help the city
connect anchor institutions in our two main business centers- old town and downtown, which will be rebranded as one central district with
a system of connecter trails and park lands
 Overhauled the City’s grants management processes, particularly with federal awards, by actively managing various reporting sites and
ensuring open communication with federal reporting agencies, saving the city millions of dollars in potentially forfeited grant funds
 Serve as a founder and coordinating member of the Saginaw Soup committee, which manages a micro-grant program that encourages local
entrepreneurs to develop and communicate their business ideas to the community through a competition that provides the winner with start-
up funds and access to a business mentorship program in addition to some free business services like accounting, business planning, and
marketing

Village of Dundee—Management Intern—(Population: 3,957; Taxable Value: $169 million) May 2012 – November 2012

Primary Responsibilities: Reported directly to the village manager, assisted with day-to-day management of village; personnel administration;
community and economic development; budget implementation and audit review; zoning compliance and site plan review, purchasing administration
and bid openings

Major Accomplishments:

 Drafted village ordinances and policies including an updated Freedom of Information Act policy and sign ordinance
 Conducted a wage comparison study for local governments of similar size to benchmark salary and benefits
 Coordinated the development of a project proposal and memorandum of understanding with Honeywell International for an approximately
$727,000 energy efficiency capital upgrade with a projected cost savings of over $1.5 million over fifteen years
 Coordinated the village’s transition to the Michigan Intergovernmental Trade Network, which broadened the reach of the village to publish
RFPs and RFQs to the highest quality and most cost effective bidders both in and out of state with no cost to the village
 Created a procurement proposal scoring system that uses a decision matrix that measures qualitative criteria for bid selection processes
independently of price so quality of the product and of the responding firms is considered in addition to costs
 Coordinated police department procurement of reusable LED traffic safety flares, saving hundreds of dollars in traditional one-time
chemical flares
 Coordinated the procurement of a large format plotter for the village engineer and the donation of an older plotter to Dundee High School

Charter Township of Ypsilanti—Management Intern—(Population: 53,780; Taxable Value: $1.14 billion) August 2011 – August 2012

Primary Responsibilities: Reported directly to the township supervisor; assisted township supervisor with special projects as needed;
conducted research and analysis regarding foreclosures, public nuisance and government sponsored enterprises; assisted with legislative affairs at the
state and local levels

Major Accomplishments:

 Coordinated research and development of vacant property and foreclosure registration ordinances
 Created proposed disbursement strategies and performance metrics for a multi-million-dollar state grant program managed by the Michigan
Attorney General’s office
 Created and delivered a presentation outlining township challenges with foreclosure, public nuisance, and vacant property to Congressman
John Dingell
 Created and instituted a data-based strategy for tracking and forecasting foreclosures and vacant property
 Created and published neighborhood stabilization educational material for neighborhood watch groups
 Created a working relationship with contacts at the South East Michigan Council of Governments
 Assisted in the development of the Township budget
 Assisted with media relations and public affairs

2
MATTHEW S. LANE 123 Fulton Street
St. Charles, MI 48655
989-397-6350
mattlane10@gmail.com
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

American Red Cross - Washtenaw County Chapter—Financial Development Intern May 2009 –September 2009

Primary Responsibilities: As a member of the fund development department, assisted with various fund raising efforts; assisted the
development associate and other interns draft grant proposals and letters of intent to increase revenue to the organization; administered a standardized
proposal program that tracked all external funding sources; utilized Raiser’s Edge software to track and monitor donors and donations

Major Accomplishments:

 Directly generated roughly $5,000 in revenue through grant proposals and letters of intent
 Prepared various marketing material for special events and fundraisers that raised over $30,000
 Wrote nearly 20 grant proposals
 Created budgets and performance measures for grant proposals
 Assisted with chapter orientation and tours
 Served as a member of the proposal writing team with various staff and board members

Depot Town Community Development Corp. — Project Coordinator May 2009 – September 2009

Primary Responsibilities: Work with the executive director and the board of directors to market Depot Town and to raise funds for community
development activities in two of Ypsilanti’s largest city parks-Riverside and Frog Island; drafted external communications such as press releases and
marketing material; updated and maintained the organizational website www.depottowncdc.org; conducted research and analysis of area
demographics

Major Accomplishments:

 Coordinated the Depot Town portion of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival

 Managed placement and logistics for 24 vendors
 Managed service and supply acquisition for outdoor concerts
 Managed a small budget, ending with an approximately 33% surplus
 Negotiated over two dozen individual vendor contracts
 Secured over $1,000 of revenue for the Depot Town Association in dues and membership fees

COMPUTER PROFICIENCIES

 Proficient in BS&A Software (General Ledger, HR, Purchase Order, Accounts Payable, etc.)
 Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, etc.)
 Proficient in HTE Navaline Public Sector
 Proficient in IBM Lotus Notes and most other email platforms
 Proficient in Project Management Software Producteev

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

 St. Charles Farmers’ Marketplace

 Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Great Lakes Bay Region
 Saginaw Soup
 American Red Cross - Washtenaw County Chapter
 Depot Town Community Development Corporation
 Ypsilanti Heritage Festival
 Jamboree at Riverside Park
 Clare County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputies
 Clare County Sheriff’s Explorers-- Captain

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

 International City/County Management Association

 Michigan Municipal Executives
o NextGen Committee
 Michigan Municipal League
o Finance Legislative Committee

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 MATTHEW S. LANE 123 Fulton Street
St. Charles, MI 48655
989-397-6350
mattlane10@gmail.com
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EDUCATION

 Master of Public Administration—Eastern Michigan University— In Progress

 Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Minor in Journalism— Eastern Michigan University—2010

989-
 MATTHEW SCHOOLEY
519 Gratiot Avenue, Alma, MI 48801 H: 9894636319 + C: 9896200083 + mschooley@ci.alma.mi.us

Ms.Sheila Letourneau
525 East Superior Street
Alma, MI 48801

January 12, 2018

Dear Ms. Letourneau,

I am writing to express my interest in the City Manager position with the City of Alma. I feel confident that my
knowledge of the community, enthusiasm, and experience make me uniquely qualified to make an immediate impact
for the employees and citizens of Alma.
Throughout my 27-year career with the City of Alma, I have developed skills and abilities that make me a strong fit for
this position. My background in managing the police and transit departments has allowed me to build a diverse resume
in comparison to other candidates. I have shown the ability to create strong, positive work environments while making
employees more accountable through the creation of up to date policy and procedure manuals. I have been
instrumental in planning, organizing and directing the operational activities for a variety of personnel. I believe that
municipal employees have a unique job that calls for creative thinking and problem solving. I am a strong believer that
team building, inclusion, and common sense in short and long-term planning are essential to success.

Municipalities are under pressure to do more with less. I believe one of my strengths is the ability to examine and assess
workforce processes, gather information from staff, then collaborate to make the best decision for allocating the
community's resources. In order for this city to grow and prosper, leaders must have the courage to lead. I am that
leader.

My passion for the City of Alma, and my sincere desire to succeed has led me to apply for this job. I believe during my career I
have been a valuable resource for this community. I would bring a strong work ethic and enthusiasm to the role, and I would be
grateful for a chance to keep contributing to this community. I would be honored to take on such an important role that would
allow me to move the city forward.
My resume is attached. Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

�aat-,o/
Matthew Schooley