Steve Abbott draws upon his engineering experience in his job as Director of the Public Works Department for the City of Madison.

Birmingham is his hometown. After graduating from Banks High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Alabama.

During his career, Abbott has worked in engineering for South Central Bell in Birmingham, Florence and Decatur. He served as public works director in Decatur for 12.5 and in Huntsville for 10.5 years.

“After relocating my family twice in a five-year span with the Bell System, my wife and I decided that we wanted to stay in North Alabama,” Abbott said. “The City of Decatur had created the public works director position in 1985, and I was fortunate to be selected for that position.”

His civil engineering background and related experience in the U.S. Army qualified Abbott for the city’s maintenance and construction needs.

In Madison, Abbott faces challenges with “budgetary constraints with regard to providing for the infrastructure needs of the city and addressing the daily operations of the department.”

“I am fortunate to work with a department that has extremely dedicated employees,” he said.

“The City of Madison’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all of its residents,” Abbott said. “With that thought, we are committed to work diligently to provide city services to all areas of the city in a timely manner. Problems with roads, drainage and any safety-related issues are what we address on a daily basis.”

The Madison Public Works Department has outgrown its present facility, located at 400 Celtic Drive, Abbott said. “With the growth of the city, there will be a need to address expansion of the facility in the near future.”

His wife Kay Abbott is a teacher at Eastwood Elementary School in Decatur. Their children are Clint, 29, who attends UA, and Blake, 24, who will attend Athens State University next semester.

Away from work, Steve Abbott enjoys working on the family farm and with his antique cars.