Mobile County commissioners have selected two longtime members of the county’s engineering staff to lead a newly reorganized public works structure, ending an 18-month search that followed the retirement of a department head who had served for more than four decades.
During a conference meeting this week, the Mobile County Commission voted to name Bryan Kegley as county engineer and Ricky Mitchell as public works director and chief engineer of the division of public roads. The appointments mark the first time the roles have been filled separately since former county engineer Joe Rufer stepped down in 2016 after 42 years on the job.
For decades, the county engineer’s office functioned as a single, wide-reaching department overseeing everything from road construction to building maintenance. That changed after the commission paid roughly $30,000 for an outside evaluation in 2017, which found that the position had accumulated too much direct control over an unusually broad range of county functions.
Acting on the consulting firm’s recommendations, commissioners voted last summer to split many of the county engineer’s former duties between two positions: the county engineer and a newly created public works director. The review also stripped some responsibilities, including parks and recreation and environmental services, from the department entirely, shifting them to county administration. Officials said the changes were meant to eliminate functions the consultants described as duplicative or unnecessary, including redundant IT services, human resources support and a standalone finance office within the department.
Under the new arrangement, Kegley will oversee road construction and related engineering projects, while Mitchell will take charge of building maintenance and equipment services, among other duties. Each will retain additional responsibilities outside those core areas as the department settles into its new structure.
Both men rose to their new posts after competing against other applicants in public interviews held in March. Kegley, a graduate of Baker High School and the University of South Alabama, has worked for the county since August 2011, most recently as assistant county engineer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is a licensed professional engineer and land surveyor.
Mitchell, a native of north Alabama, has served as deputy public works director for the county since 2011. A graduate of Pinson Valley High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is also a licensed professional engineer.
Although the appointments were formalized this week, Kegley and Mitchell have effectively been running their respective sides of the department since Rufer’s retirement, giving county officials confidence that the transition to the new leadership structure will be smooth. The reorganized department is expected to account for roughly 30 percent of the county’s multi-million dollar budget going forward, reflecting the scale of road, bridge and facilities work it oversees.
Commission President Connie Hudson credited both men for steering their departments through the lengthy restructuring process. “Mr. Kegley and Mr. Mitchell have stepped up and led their respective departments well over the past 18 months,” Hudson said in a statement announcing the appointments. “We look forward to their continued service and dedication to the citizens of Mobile County.”