Mayor Jim Ferrell announced Michael Morales as the new director of  the Community Development Department for the city of Federal Way this week.

“I am proud to select Michael Morales to lead this key department,” Ferrell wrote in a press release. “He is an accomplished leader in the area of community development and can ensure that our department continues to grow in its ability to support a healthy business environment and outstanding quality of life.”

Morales worked for 15 years at the city of Yakima, holding a series of positions of progressively higher responsibility. He served as the Community and Economic Development director and before that, deputy director. He was a highly valued leader in Yakima and prior to leaving the city, he served as the assistant city manager and acting city manager. Most recently, Morales served as the director of community engagement at the Yakima Valley Community Foundation.

The director manages the Community Development Department, which is responsible for administering the city’s land use, subdivision and environmental codes, building codes and inspection, permitting and code enforcement.

The department also contains the Human Services Division, which administers social services funding and programs through the city’s community development block grant, low-income housing repair and the Human Services General Fund. Federal Way is one of the few South King County cities that is a community development block grant entitlement agency, giving the city direct control over its federal allocation. The city’s Human Services program has grown significantly as an entitlement agency, reaching $764,668 in 2014, and a budgeted $1 million for 2015.

The director of Community Development reports directly to the mayor and is a member of the mayor’s management team. His scheduled starting date is April 1.

The Community Development department is responsible for regulating development in a responsive, efficient manner, ensures community well-being through enforcing environmental, land use, building and fire safety codes, and through the graffiti removal.

The City Council confirmed Morales’s appointment on Tuesday.