RAPID CITY - During a warm handshake Wednesday at city hall, Alderman Sam Kooiker congratulated mayor-elect Alan Hanks for Hanks' Tuesday election victory.

Hanks, who defeated Kooiker by about 760 votes in the mayoral runoff, plans to spend some time getting up to speed during the next few days before taking the oath of office Monday.

Hanks and outgoing mayor Jim Shaw believe that the transition from one administration to another will go smoothly.

"I hope that people literally don't even notice the change in administration," Hanks said. "I'm hoping for a seamless transition at city hall, and knowing the people, working with many of the department heads, I think we can certainly accomplish that."

Shaw agreed.

"I don't think he'll have any problems at all," Shaw said. "Alan was on the council for a number of years and obviously enjoys government work, so he'll get up to speed very quickly."

Shaw will open Monday's city council meeting, then turn the gavel over after Hanks and the council are sworn into office. After that, Shaw will exit and won't offer any parting remarks.

"That night belongs to the new mayor and the new council people," he said.

But that doesn't mean Shaw is moving away. He will still live in Rapid City and will serve on The Journey Museum board and possibly the downtown revitalization committee.

"I'm very proud of what we've accomplished during the eight years I've been mayor. This is a great community with great people and a very promising future."

Shaw said his role in the transition is more as a resource for Hanks if Hanks has questions or needs information.

Hanks said the first thing he needs to do is "get my feet on the ground and start tackling the budget."

Normally, the mayor presents the proposed budget to the council in late July, and then, the council has several work sessions or hearings before finalizing the budget in September. The budget must be completed and sent to the county auditor by Oct. 1.

Shaw said 2008 budget discussions between the mayor and various departments have been ongoing since March, and he estimated it is probably about two-thirds complete.

Hanks said he plans to review the recommendations in Shaw's proposed budget, make adjustments if he believes it is necessary and be ready to present to the council in late July. He said he doesn't anticipate the budget will need major reworking, but he may do some fine tuning.

"The other things I need to do once I'm sworn in, I want to sit down with department heads and a lot of the city staff and get a feel for any issues that may be outstanding that need to be addressed immediately," he said.

One of those will be choosing a new police chief to replace Craig Tieszen, whose last day is July 20.

"We want to make sure we do that in a timely manner, … and it would be nice to have that squared away," Hanks said.

Hanks is not considering changes in staff or department heads right now.

"I've been very upfront in that I think we have a very professional staff. I think they do a great job. If issues arise, I'll certainly take a look, but at this point, nothing has come to my knowledge that we have any issues as far as department heads," he said.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com