After more than 25 years of dedicated service to the City, Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton announced his retirement effective on November 14, 2025. The announcement comes after a distinguished career, including the last four years as City Manager.
Beginning his career with the City as an internal auditor in 1999, Barton served the City of Phoenix in numerous leadership roles, including Budget and Research Director, Deputy City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and made history as the first African American City Manager in Phoenix.
Throughout his time with the City, Barton focused on meeting the needs of the community while maintaining the City’s strong financial position. Under his leadership, the City navigated numerous challenges and embraced opportunities to improve the quality of life for all residents.
During his tenure, Barton has been instrumental in several key initiatives that significantly contributed to the City's growth and development.
Notably, he successfully led the development and implementation of a voter-approved $500 million General Obligation (GO) Bond Program. This program funds critical infrastructure and rehabilitation needs for City facilities such as parks, libraries, fire and police stations, affordable housing, streets, and storm drains, all without raising the property tax rate. This was the first GO Bond Program in nearly two decades, and Barton established a plan for the City to continue future programs on a regular cycle moving forward.
Throughout his leadership journey, Barton introduced the FundPHX Tool, which enhanced community participation in the budget process, allowing residents to have direct input in how city funds are allocated.
He updated the City Manager's Performance Dashboard to improve transparency and provide clear performance indicators for City operations.
Under Barton's guidance, the City achieved and maintained stellar credit ratings, reflecting his commitment to fiscal responsibility and sound financial management.
He played a pivotal role in economic development, working with major employers to create high-quality jobs and boost the local economy.
He simultaneously supported vulnerable communities, including those experiencing homelessness, by helping the City add 1,200 indoor shelter beds and 300 additional spaces at the safe outdoor space.
His leadership was crucial in navigating the City through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that essential services continued uninterrupted while safeguarding public health. Barton worked with the Mayor and City Council to create and implement a strategic plan for the use of hundreds of millions of federal relief dollars, which served as a national model for other cities in response to the emergency.
“I want to thank the Mayor and Council for their confidence in providing me this opportunity to serve the people of Phoenix,” Barton said. “It has been a privilege to work alongside the hardest working public service professionals in the country, whose dedication and commitment have been the cornerstone of our success towards building the Phoenix of tomorrow.”
The City of Phoenix extends its gratitude to Barton for his outstanding service and leadership. His contributions have left a lasting impact on the community, and his legacy will continue to inspire future City leaders.
The City Council will begin discussions in the coming weeks to select the next City Manager, the one City position hired directly by the City Council.
