Kevin A.

Cowper, City Manager

Highlights and Accomplishments from 2019 - 2024

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City Manager Kevin Cowper began his employment with the City of Dothan at a time when Dothan
needed a fresh vision for capital projects that would improve and deliver Dothan’s core services
to its citizens, focused infrastructure improvements and expansion, economic development
coordination, and overall neighborhood revitalization and community re-investment.
Early in the City Manager’s tenure, he envisioned and implemented LoveDothan! This citywide
strategy and forward thinking galvanized the support and energy from various stakeholders
within the community to vision Dothan as a place where citizens find value in the services that are
provided by its government and to send a unifying message that Dothan is a great place to live, do
business, and to raise a family.
With 13 departments and over 1,200 employees, the City Manager along with senior managers
and Department Directors have led the 5th largest organization in Dothan and has provided a
strategic plan and vision for areas of focus that guide the daily operations of the city.
What is the goal of the Love Dothan strategic initiative?
The main goal of this initiative is to make our city the best place it can possibly be. From improving
its strengths to revamping areas that need attention and a strategic focus. This concept aims to
carry out action plans to enhance Dothan and to plan Dothan’s growth in a more intentional way.

Here are a few highlights of the accomplishments within each area of the LoveDothan initiative
as led by the City Manager:

1. Love Your City Employees: Build a transparent, high performing, customer service focused
City organization. In 2020, a comprehensive pay study was completed and implemented to
address citywide compensation challenges to ensure city positions were paid competitive to
market. Public Safety and highly skilled positions that are in high demand were adjusted and
competitive pay remains a priority in the bi-ennial budgeting process. Various position upgrades,
additional positions, and re-alignment of positions have been the focus of the City Manager and
staff to ensure the city organization remains high performing and cross-functional.

2. Love your Neighborhood and Love Your Neighbor: Improve the condition and
appearance of mature/declining neighborhoods and improve neighborhood relations and
communication. The City Manager led the efforts in partnership with the Planning Department
to create a Neighborhood Enhancement Division that focused on proactive community
revitalization and creative enforcement. Community clean-ups and resource identification has
helped mature neighborhoods to take ownership of their communities and a concerted effort
along with support from the Commission to enforce property violations, remove
dilapidated/unsafe structures, and to formalize a process where the City can manage it effectively.

3. Love Your Businesses and Love Your Downtown: Revitalize older commercial
corridors and enhance Downtown as the center of the community. Significant focus and attention
remain in this area and progress continues to be made. In partnership with the Dothan Area
Chamber of Commerce and private investment, improvements are being made to Montgomery
Highway and investment in the corridor coming into Downtown. Brownfield meetings and
discovery opportunities have taken place to identify potential grant funding to help remediate
properties along South Oates Street. A master plan has been released regarding the City Center
Project and various stakeholder meetings have been led by the City Manager and staff to plan for

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 Kevin A. Cowper, City Manager
Highlights and Accomplishments from 2019 - 2024

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the future of Dothan’s downtown (e.g., Wiregrass Innovation Center, Opera House Renovations,
Civic Center Plaza and Amphitheater, Performing Arts/Civic Center Venue, Downtown Hotel and
Retail Space, City Hall, Parking accommodations, and Business/entertainment opportunities).
Various operational and infrastructure components to bring these projects into fruition have
already begun and the City Manager along with senior staff and city departments are leading those
efforts to make these improvements happen.

4. Love Your Orange Barrels: Improve growth management and enhance the function and
appearance of existing infrastructure and major transportation routes. Every quadrant of the city
has experienced infrastructure enhancement from the annual paving and sidewalk improvement
plan implementation, to more involved coordination of major enhancements to roadways
throughout the City with ALDOT, ATRIP, and MPO (e.g., Ross Clark Circle Improvement Project,
West Main and Ross Clark Circle Improvement Project, Brannon Stand Road Improvements,
Denton Road Project, East Main and Hwy 84 E Sidewalk and Lighting Improvement Plan, etc.).
With each of these improvements come with it an assessment and improvement of water, sewer,
lighting/electrical upgrades where applicable. Upgrades and advancements have been made to
the traffic management/signaling system throughout the city to aid in traffic flow and to manage
capacity at times when the demand is high.

5. Love Your Work: Prepare for the future economic development of Dothan. In coordination
with Houston County and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Dothan has assisted
with infrastructure enhancements, economic incentives through the City of Dothan New Business
Incentive, and operational capacity to help facilitate the growth of 4,000 jobs and $444 Million
in investments from 2020-2023. The City organization and various departments assisted with
infrastructure improvements to help facilitate this growth (e.g. Sam Houston Industrial Park,
SmartLam/Peak Renewables, Industrial Park Re-developments at Napier Field, Burlington Coat
Factory, Simply 10, Dothan 193 South Saint Andrews, and other retail, housing, and service
industries).

6. Love Your Schools: Prepare for the future education and workforce development needs of
Dothan. The Commission provides annual funding to assist the schools with operational costs in
providing a quality public education. School Resource and Protection Officers are provided at
each school to ensure children are safe, and the City Manager and staff have led improvements to
Rip Hewes Stadium and have made significant investments in various shared facilities across the
city in the Leisure Services Department. Two (2) neighborhood schools have been re-purposed,
and Montana School is now the headquarters for the Dothan Housing Authority and Grandview
Elementary is now the Izell Reese Community Center. Both properties have been re-
purposed to allow for community engagement, quality of life initiatives, and an overall good use
of property to meet various needs of the community.

The City Manager has navigated through changes in senior management during his tenure (Civic
Center/Opera House Director, City Attorney, Finance Director, Public Works Director, and Police
Chief) and currently working to fill the Leisure Services Director and IT Director positions. He
effectively leads the operations of the city and ensures competent staff are positioned to carry out
the essential functions that are evidenced in the strategic/business plan accomplishments shared
with the Commission on a consistent basis.