City Administrator Jim Ristow has announced that Harrison Johnson has been hired as the Director of Community & Economic Development for the City of Bellevue. Mr. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Southern Utah University.
Mr. Johnson entered public service in 2017 as the Director of the joint Hildale- Colorado City Utilities Department and returns to Nebraska after serving as the Deputy City Manager of Hildale City, Utah since 2021. During that time, he led and completed the Hildale-Colorado City Natural Gas Cross Border Pipeline project which brought significant cost savings to residents. In addition, over the last few years, Mr. Johnson procured over a million dollars in grant funding for the Hildale and Colorado City communities including the Rural Economic Investment and Development Grant which led to opening the Hildale Economic Advancement and Innovation Center in 2022. Mr. Johnson has also managed and completed the overhaul of considerable increases in city infrastructure with Community Development Block Grants supporting the Safe Routes to School initiative, bringing modern and accessible sidewalks to students of Hildale's primary education institutions. As a forward-thinking Administrator, Mr. Johnson pioneered changes in city planning to include the completion of the Hildale Master Transportation Plan which focuses on active transportation and responsible street development projects. Lastly, Mr. Johnson introduced and developed the Hildale Historic Residential Housing Overlay and the Future Land Use District System that prioritizes affordable housing and responsible growth.
In his new role at the City of Bellevue, Mr. Johnson will be tasked with helping to promote all the great things going on in Bellevue, manage all economic development activities and work to grow our community by securing relationships with interested businesses and partners. City Administrator Ristow stated, “we welcome Harrison Johnson to the Bellevue community, and we look forward to working with him, especially during this time of potential growth. Mr. Johnson’s experience and enthusiasm will be well received as we work together to help Bellevue continue to grow and prosper.”
Mr. Johnson will start his new position with the City of Bellevue on Monday, September 11, 2023.