Klebes to head City of TD in years of growth

Matthew Klebes

By Tom Peterson 

The Dalles City Council officially hired Matthew Klebes as the new City Manager of The Dalles this evening, March 23.
Klebes, who is the current Wasco County Administrative Services Director, was the top choice of all Councilors and the Mayor after interviews with four candidates were conducted on March 17.
Klebes, who recently held a large role in Google negotiations for two more data plants,  has been working with the City and Wasco County for the past 8 years in varying capacities. He has two children with his wife Krystal, a teacher at The Dalles High School. 

“I am very excited to return to the City and to work with City Staff,” Klebes said. “I will tie up all the loose ends with the County and then look forward to contributing to the City.”

Klebes will start with the City on May 16. An interim City Manager will steer the ship for a month, according to Mayor Rich Mays.

“I’m glad we were able to sucker…. I mean be able to have Matthew,” Mays said laughing while Klebes listened in on speakerphone.

Klebes said he would take a few months off between jobs and spend time with family.

The starting wage for his position is $145,000.

Councilor Dan Richardson

“Matthew brings to the job a number of qualities that struck me as a great set for where the City is now and where we want to be going,” said Councilor Dan Richardson. “He's not just smart but thinks ahead on issues… and looks for the implications on next steps and where that puts us.” 

The Dalles has major challenges ahead with the influx of Google dollars expected in years to come and a long list of possible projects including improving schools, adding trails, a dog park, or increasing affordable housing as service employees are displaced by housing and rest costs.

“We are at a pivotal moment - a hinge of history - where we can go one direction or another and choose our path forward,” Richardson added. “We need to be mindful in our path forward as a community that can define ourselves a little bit and not just have things happen to us. Matthew has the quality of weighing ideas without a lot of ego but clear thinking. He brings a huge asset to the leadership of our city staff.” 

Councilor Darcy Long said she based her decision on Klebes’ working knowledge.

Councilor Darcy Long

“He had all the local connections and new key players and had an integral role in important issues such as SIP (Google)  agreement,” she said. “He has an excellent educational background and local experience and when he made the move to the county, it broadened his experience.”

“As far as I see, The Dalles is moving forward at this time,” she said. “It’s good to have someone that has younger children and is invested in the community.”

Klebes, who is the Wasco County Administrative Services Director, was the top choice of Council after interviews with four candidates were conducted on March 17. 

However, the name could not be released until Klebes accepted the offer and a salary and benefits could be agreed upon today. 

Council is expected to formally accept the contract through a Council Vote in days to come. 

Their next City Council Meeting is set for Monday, March 28.  

Klebes, 36, came to The Dalles in 2014 as a Resource Assistance for Rural Environments employee and immediately went to work with The Dalles Mainstreet. 

Klebes said he worked with downtown property owners, the City and nonprofits as he took the organization from an annual budget of $5,000 to $100,000, according to his resume. 

In his most recent work, Klebes has been heavily involved in the Strategic Investment Program that nurtured the deal between the City, Wasco County and Google for two new proposed data centers in the Port of The Dalles.

He is the current administrator of Qlife, a collaborative effort of public entities in The Dalles, Oregon, that began in 2002 that created a 17-mile fiber-optic loop through the city. The goal is to enhance the region's economic development efforts with a reliable, cost-effective, open-access link to the Bonneville Power Administration's fiber, which runs through The Dalles.

Maybe most importantly, he is still in the middle of the process of helping negotiate how future Community Service Fees - millions of dollars in annual payments - will be allocated amongst taxing districts and coffers for community projects.

He also served as an assistant to The Dalles City Manager from 2016 to 2019, working on the deal to secure matching funds for a $7.3 million state allocation to build the dormitory and skill center at Columbia Gorge Community College.

He said the overlap of his City, County projects with the State has provided him with “interesting and challenging work.”

Click here to read his resume.