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Meet Robby Hammond: City Manager

Post Date:12/18/2023

Robby Hammond has been a Hillsboro resident and City employee for more than a decade; first as the Director of Human Resources (starting in 2012), then as Assistant City Manager (starting in 2016), and finally as the City Manager (starting in 2019).

Robby’s kindness and sense of humor are easy for community members to notice, while his deep dedication to public service and long hours of daily work are often behind the scenes. We asked Robby to share what inspires him to help move Hillsboro forward.

Robby, tell us more about yourself

I grew up on a family farm in Quincy, Washington and loved it. After high school, I attended Brigham Young University and decided that I wanted to work in city management. After college, my family and I spent eight years in San Antonio, Texas where I worked for the City of San Antonio in a variety of capacities before coming home to the Pacific Northwest to work for the City of Hillsboro.

My wife and our three children love to spend time outdoors, both at the beach and up in the mountains. We especially love hiking and camping in the Cascades. Recently, we got to backpack in the Enchantments area of the North Cascades and summit Mt. St. Helens as well.

Robby's family at the Enchantments

What experiences in your life led to working in city management?

My first internship during college was with a small city’s Planning Department. During the internship, I got to know the City Manager (I didn’t even know that type of job existed) and became fascinated with how cities work. That internship helped me decide to pursue and later earn my Masters of Public Administration degree in pursuit of becoming a City Manager.

How does your job directly benefit Hillsboro community members?

One of the best parts of my job is the wide variety of ways that city government can have such a positive impact on the community. As a full-service city, Hillsboro provides public safety, parks and recreation, library, water, transportation, infrastructure, and so many other important services to residents and businesses. In my role, I get to be involved in all of these areas.

What is it like to spend a day doing your job?

My job looks different every day because of the wide variety of services we provide. Some days are spent preparing for City Council meetings, while others are spent meeting with community partners like the Hillsboro School District or the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.

Every day has lots of meetings with other City staff to discuss the services we provide and ways we can make the Hillsboro community even better.

Robby presenting

What goals are you focusing on?

The Hillsboro City Council establishes goals every year. Those goals become my responsibility to achieve. We focus heavily on core services, like public safety, parks and recreation, library, and critical city infrastructure and housing.

Along with those annual goals, we have other important projects, like the City’s HiLight broadband high-speed internet service and the Willamette Water Supply Program. One of my personal goals is to ensure that the City of Hillsboro is an employer of choice and that we take care of our amazing employees.

As you reach out to community members for input and feedback, what are you hoping to hear?

As City Manager, I get frequent feedback from community members. That’s a vital part of my job. However they feel, I hope they feel comfortable sharing with me their thoughts and experiences.

I always hope that our residents feel safe in our community, that they love spending their time at various locations throughout Hillsboro, and that they feel confident about Hillsboro’s future. I also hope that our businesses and nonprofit organizations feel that they have great relationships with the City, and feel they can be successful in our community.

What are the top questions community members ask you?

A very common question I get is, “So are you, like, the Mayor?”

Many people don’t know much about the role of a City Manager, so I explain that the elected Mayor and City Councilors hire a City Manager to manage the city in accordance with their policies and direction.

Other frequent questions I get are specific to the many projects we have going on, like HiLight high-speed internet service, the planned new police headquarters, and the South Hillsboro neighborhood.

I enjoy talking about these projects and I always refer them to our great City website for more information and future updates. Our City Views newsletter is another great source for updated information on current projects.

What projects have you worked on that have been particularly interesting to you?

I’ve mentioned HiLight several times already, and it’s a pretty amazing project that will be incredibly impactful for decades to come. I’m frequently asked when HiLight is coming to different neighborhoods. We’re always looking for ways to “speed up” our high-speed internet service roll out. We’re over 1,000 customers – and those customers love HiLight. I’m excited to see the continued implementation over the next few years.

Who inspires you?

With three children who have been involved in several youth sporting programs, I’ve gained a huge appreciation for youth coaches. Most coaches are volunteers who give a significant amount of their personal time to the kids on their teams. I coached a soccer team for one season several years ago… It’s a lot of work! A huge thank you to the coaches and volunteers that help our youth learn and grow through sports!

Robby's family at Glacier National Park

Tell us something people wouldn’t guess about you?

Most people don’t know that music was a significant part of my life growing up. I played the drums in a jazz band, marching band, and I participated in state competitions throughout high school.

I originally went to college on a small music scholarship before deciding to change majors. I don’t play nearly as much anymore, but I still love music.

Another fun fact: I was a tour guide up in Alaska for a couple of summers during college. I was able to drive tour buses all over Alaska, tell lame jokes over my microphone, and get paid for it. It was amazing.

What do you like most about Hillsboro?

Here’s my short list:

There is such a wide variety of parks to go to – and they’re all amazing.
I love going to Tuesday Night Market.
My family and I enjoy attending Hops games throughout the season.
I’m a sucker for a good hot chocolate and a scone at Decadent Creations.

Robby at the Airshow

What’s the best way to ask you a question?

With more than 109,000 residents, people reach out to me daily, and sometimes it’s every hour, so keeping up with the calls and emails and questions on the street can be challenging. The best way to reach me is through the City’s website and our Contact Us page. That way we can make sure you get a response, whether it’s me, or another City expert who has the detailed information.