City Administrator Jim Hurm spent his first day in the office Monday setting up for his new role as Austin's top non-elected official.

He expects a smooth transition into the position and said he does not see much of a need to adjust the way things are run.

"There's already a good culture here as far as city hall and its relationship with the citizens," he said.

He also said he was impressed with the council and department heads and expects those relationships to be good ones.

His biggest challenge coming into the position will be in dealing with the city budget. Even though the city has a plan laid out to deal with the probable cuts to Local Government Aid (LGA), it is all dependent on action in St. Paul, and once the final numbers come down from the legislature, adjustments to that budget may be in order.

Hurm said efficiency is a key for dealing with funding cuts. Often, other cities or organizations have different ways of running things. He said it is important to keep an open mind because ideas outside the city could really help trim costs in Austin. Meeting with other groups is one way to find out what some of those ideas are, he said.

"We're going to try to develop partnerships to find better ways of doing things," he said.

To make sure his priorities are in line with the mayor and city council's, Hurm would like the council to create a list of priority issues and projects. However, he understands he may have to wait until the most pressing issues are dealt with.

"It's awfully hard to be setting goals when you have a $1.8 million shortfall facing you next year," he said.

Keeping the citizens informed about activity at city hall is another priority for Hurm. He is very interested in the public's perception of city government and wants to make sure there is an open environment.

When he was city administrator in Shorewood, he helped put together a newsletter telling citizens about pending issues and decisions that have been made. He mentioned that as a possibility in Austin, if the need is there.

But right now, Hurm wants to make sure he is fully aware of all the current issues. He is busy getting things in order around the office.

"It's sort of like jumping into an ocean," he said. "You just start paddling around, and pretty soon you start to swim."

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.comss