Atascadero city manager is retiring after 26 years with city: ‘A tremendous asset’
Atascadero City Manager Rachelle Rickard is retiring after 26 years of working for the North County city.
Rickard, who retires in July, has served as city manager of Atascadero for a decade, according to a city news release.
“Rachelle Rickard is a tremendous asset to the city, having built a strong management team to carry out the key priorities and objectives of the City Council from beginning to end,” Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno said in the release. “As you look at new businesses and infrastructure projects or events and a thriving downtown, her professionalism, strong work ethic, and exemplary leadership are manifest citywide.”
In her role as city manager, Rickard successfully oversaw repairs for more than 42 miles of neighborhood roads in six years, improving the overall pavement condition index in the city by more than eight points, the release said.
Rickard also helped establish popular downtown events such as the Atascadero Tamale Festival, Dancing in the Streets and Atascadero Fall Festival.
She secured more than $32 million in federal and state government grants for the city of Atascadero and facilitated projects such as the inclusive Joy Playground, Colony Park Community Center, Lewis Avenue Bridge and outdoor pickleball courts, according to the release.
Before taking on the role of city manager, Rickard worked as the director of the Administrative Services Department for 16 years.
In that position, her accomplishments included rehabilitating Atascadero’s historic City Hall and introducing a comprehensive financial plan for the city, the release said.
The rehabilitation of the Atascadero City Administration Building was finished ahead of schedule and $9 million under budget, the release said, which helped the city government build a $11 million reserve in the general fund after years of economic downtown.
“I am proud of our city team and culture,” Rickard said in the release. “We have an incredible team of hardworking individuals with a passion for serving the community and the desire to work collaboratively to get things done. It has been an amazing privilege working with them.”
Rickard said plans for her retirement have been in the works for a few years. She plans to spend her time traveling with her husband and visiting her adult children.
“Rachelle will be terribly missed as city manager, but her legacy of building an incredible city culture made up of a strong, capable team will continue to move Atascadero forward,” Moreno said.
The city will begin recruiting for a city manager in the upcoming weeks.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 10:30 AM.
