Interim manager

The Waseca City Council approved a resolution naming Public Utilities director Carl Sonnenberg as interim city manager to replace outgoing manager Lee Mattson, effective Nov. 30, 2022. A motion was also approved to postpone the hiring of a full time city manager until the new council is seated in January. 

In the meantime, during the short special meeting begun at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022 to discuss the city manager position, council members Jeremy Conrath and John Mansfield advocated that the council should consider switching from a city manager to a city administrator. A main difference between the two positions is the individual’s control over the hiring and firing of city employees. An administrator typically does all the background work for hiring or firing and brings a suggestion to the council for final approval or rejection. A manager, on the other hand, has the ability to make that decision independently. 

Prior to approval of the resolution, the topic of pay for the interim administrator was discussed. Initially Sonnenberg suggested his pay be $3,400 per month in addition to his salary as utilities director during his period as interim manager. Councilperson John Clemons proposed the salary be set at $1,000, the amount previously used for the interim position, but the amendment failed to pass. The majority of council members said the resolution, written by Sonnenberg, was well researched and they believed his recommendation was defensible. The decision to hire Sonnenberg was unanimous.