City Administration

Responsibilities

The City Administrator is the City’s Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the efficient and economical operation of city government. The City Administrator serves and advises the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, hires department directors, and prepares a proposed annual budget for Board consideration. The Administrator also enforces municipal laws and ordinances and coordinates City operations and programs.

Services

The City Administrator’s Office provides staff support services to the Board of Aldermen and coordinates the development and analysis of policy recommendations presented to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The Administrator interacts on a daily basis with the City’s Executive Team, consisting of the City Administrator and department directors. The City Administrator’s Office also works with a variety of community and economic development partners to assist in providing the best possible services and information to the citizens of Branson.

Communication

The Communications Manager acts as a liaison between the City of Branson and the public through news releases and social media interaction.

City Administrator Biography

Cathy Stepp began as the City of Branson City Administrator on October 3, 2022. Stepp has extensive government administrative experience, most recently as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Administrator in the Great Lakes states for nearly 3 years during the Trump administration. She was responsible for over 1,000 employees, oversaw 6 states’ environmental protection programs, and ran the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program that implemented over $300 million in grants to restore and protect the water quality of the Great Lakes. Prior to that, she served as a Cabinet Secretary over the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for nearly 7 years; an agency that is responsible for all of the hunting and fishing regulations, state forests, state parks, law enforcement, and state trails, as well as the environmental permitting programs. There she was responsible for over 4,000 employees across the state and managed a budget of $500 million per year. Before her public sector executive experience, Stepp served as a state senator for four years. She and her husband started their own home building business, which they operated until its sale 14 years later. Stepp was appointed by Mayor Milton to serve on Branson’s Planning and Zoning Commission in 2021 where she served for a year and a half.

She and her husband, Paul, chose Branson as their “forever home” in 2013 after experiencing Branson’s unique traditions of family-friendly entertainment, abundant natural resources, and love for veterans. They have two grown children. Cathy is passionate about making government work for the citizens, with an emphasis on transparency, accountability, and collaboration. She is a fiscal conservative with a keen understanding of the need to provide a solid return on the investments taxpayers make into their communities.