Heather Neeley said she has gotten to know more of Oak Ridge North’s local businesses owners since taking over as the city’s director of economic development in March. Neeley started out as Oak Ridge North’s city secretary in 2013, a position she held for three years. As city secretary, Neeley took minutes at City Council meetings, prepared agendas and acted as the records management officer and chief custodian of all official city records.

Now, Neeley’s responsibilities have shifted to planning and organizing economic development activities to expand the property and sales tax base in the city while also encouraging the creation of new jobs in the area.

Neeley attended Oak Ridge North High School and after moving away for three years to work at First Colony Community Association, she returned to Oak Ridge North and began working as city secretary.

How has the transition from city secretary to director of economic development been?

I’m really happy about the move. I like public sector work, it seems fulfilling—the civil service part of it. Our motto is, ‘What a hometown should be,’ and it really is. You have business owners who are on [the] council, so they live here and they have their business here. We want [Oak Ridge North] to still be a hometown but to also add more sales tax dollars so that citizens can keep property taxes low.

What are the main duties of your job as director of economic development?

I think it’s really about getting to know people. I was the city secretary for three years before, and while on that job I knew a lot of the board and commissions. I didn’t really get out into the community.

So it has been about learning the different businesses and meeting the owners, talking to them and really getting involved in what they need and what they’re looking for as well as going out and trying to meet with new developers who will come to the area.

How did you get involved with local government?

Originally, I worked in a nonprofit called First Colony Community Association in Sugar Land. However—because of its size—it is run like a small city, so my position there was similar to that of a city secretary. I did agendas and worked with a committee, and it was really parallel to what I did here.

When I saw the city secretary position open here, it seemed like a natural fit. I’ve always wanted to be in community development or economic development, so that was always a goal.

What is the best part of being the director of economic development for the city?

Like I said before, I’ve been around everything and have been talking with the business owners. I know the businesses that were here, but have never had direct involvement with them. So it has been nice to get out there and actually talk to people, whereas the city secretary was more behind the scenes. It’s nice to get out and interact with the community.

What future plans do you have for the city?

The [tax increment reinvestment zone] is something really new for the city, [and] it’s going to provide a lot of new opportunities. It’s something that’s going to provide a lot for the city, such as developing the [extraterritorial jurisdiction] to where we can put in more businesses and generate sales tax and have a nicer aesthetic throughout the city.

I’m just excited that Susan started a great program here before she left since she was the first person to come in here as an economic development person. She was here when the TIRZ was created and she left so now it’s a new opportunity to take TIRZ and make it successful.