The Osseo City Council talked more about the interim city administrator and vacant city clerk positions during its July 8 meeting.
Councilmember Juliana Hultstrom said she and Councilmember John Hall asked that the city look at an interim city administrator with city clerk experience from the League of Minnesota Cities candidates.
“There are a lot of residents uncomfortable with our current situation being a dual role,” she said of Shane Mikkelson acting as manager for all city departments and as chief of police. “I’m very much in favor to go further with this list from the League of Minnesota Cities, which is a list of administrators and managers.”
Hultstrom made a motion to engage with a specific candidate from the League list to work as a temporary city administrator/city clerk, treasurer, notary, HR and finance person.
“So this person is going to do all of that?” the mayor asked.
Hultstrom said the specific candidate could oversee all those areas with experience. She provided Mayor Duane Poppe and Councilmember Alicia Vickerman with the candidate’s information and experience, but was not sure why it was not in the council packet.
Poppe said if the position for city clerk isn’t filled fast enough, this type of candidate would make sense to help out the city.
Attorney Mary Tiejten said the council could look for an interim city clerk/interim city administrator, as suggested by Hultstrom, or they could be separate positions. She added there were a number of qualified individuals on the League list that could help the city.
“I think the council would need to decide whether it agrees with Councilmember Hultstrom’s approach,” she said.
Vickerman said she did not understand why the council would replace Mikkelson with another interim person. “We are so shorted staff, I don’t want to eliminate any positions, I want to build up more,” she said.
Poppe agreed, noting that the same council had approved Mikkelson to the interim administrator position in the first place.
Hultstrom said Interim City Administrator Mikkelson had stopped corresponding with her.
“I will speak for myself, in conversations before the 28th of June,” she said. “The first thing that our interim administrator didn’t like, said I don’t trust him [sic], and then quit talking to me.”
At the meeting, Mikkelson openly disagreed with Hultstrom.
“I don’t know I would have ever told you ‘I don’t trust you,’” he said to Hultstrom. “The communication I had with you was one phone call and you said, ‘I will contact you later.’ That was the message we had together. Then after that, I have sent several emails to the full council, which you have replied, which then I have answered every question that you have asked me. There was no information given from you to me as far as how this agenda, how this item was proposed. There has been no direction. And I am sorry if you assume I’m trying to undermine something. I am not. I have been very honest in my entire time here.”
He said if the council would like him to step back from the interim role, he will do it.
“I truly believe in myself, that I’m doing what’s best for this city,” Mikkelson said. “I’m not asking for a ton of money. I’m not asking for control. I bring everything to this council and I call you back as soon as I can. I do everything in my power to make this city run well because I love this city.”
Hall said he felt the council needed to move forward to post for a city administrator position as well as a city clerk position. He mentioned elections, audits and budgeting was coming up.
The council voted on Hultstrom’s motion. It failed 1-3, with Hultstrom only voting in favor. Councilmember Mark Schulz was absent.
Vickerman made a motion to approve allowing further discussions with city staff with candidates about the interim city clerk position. That motion passed 3-1, with Hultstrom voting against.
City Clerk job posting
Back in June, there was discussion about possibly posting for an assistant city administrator position after the resignation of City Clerk Katrina Jones.
“After that meeting, Attorney Mary Tiejten and I discussed the position description that was presented may not fit the position title,” Mikkelson said. He said it may cause some legal implications.
He suggested the city post for a city clerk position. The city is prepared to post the position until it is filled.
Hall asked if, in the future, the council could change the position title to assistant city administrator.
Tiejten said it could be done. She added, “One of the things we [Mikkelson] talked about was just making sure that the job description was accurate in terms of the what the position was going to be doing for their duties.”
Vickerman supported posting the position as a city clerk. She and Poppe agreed it was critical to get the position filled as soon as possible.
Hall said he felt that all members of the council should be able to be a part of the hiring and interviewing process for this position, not just the two members on the Human Resources Committee. Councilmember Hultstrom said the city administrator is also part of the interviews, as are other city staff members occasionally.
The council approved the posting of the city clerk position.
Other
In other action, the council:
SWORN in Jason Norten as a police officer. He successfully completed his one-year probationary period. He is responsible for alcohol, tobacco, THC and predatory offender compliance.
APPROVED additional work hours for Community Center Coordinator Ann Schneider. She will be working up to 30 hours a week to assist city staff with administrative work in the office.
NAMED Interim City Administrator Mikkelson and Office Manager Felicia Wallgren as deputy clerks to help with the election process.
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