Robert Knodell begins his tenure as city manager with a focus on listening and advocacy

Robert Knodell officially took the reins as city manager Monday. The Poplar Bluff City Council selected him at the Dec. 18 meeting following a competitive application process.

Knodell says he hit the ground running on his first day.

“It went very well. The team we have at city hall has been very helpful,” he remarked.

In the lead-up to relieving Interim City Manager Lori Phelps, Knodell met with the city’s department heads to get a grasp of the challenges and opportunities facing the community. He praised the extensive collective experience among Poplar Bluff’s departmental leaders.

“I’m going to be doing a lot of listening at first,” Knodell affirmed.

As a result of these conversations, he said he feels up to date on the city’s situation.

“There have been no surprises,” Knodell added.

He also made it a priority to meet with the frontline employees whom he describes as critical to the city’s operation.

“I very much enjoyed meeting the team members from the city,” Knodell stated, “They’re just phenomenal people.”

He promised to listen to the city’s workers’ concerns and ideas.

“Their voices are going to be heard. They’re going to have an advocate in this office,” Knodell asserted.

He said the biggest challenge facing Poplar Bluff is the tightening revenue streams. For the 2025 city budget, the total projected revenues and expenses equal each other at $15,696,932.

Property, real estate, and one-cent sales tax revenues fell short of projections by more than $950,000 for 2024.

This year’s budget took a conservative approach to projected revenue, ensuring tight margins for the city’s departments. Knodell said he is confident the city council will craft policies to alleviate the situation and looks forward to their future work.