There was some unexpected news at the Winnebago City Council meeting last Tuesday, Feb. 12.

The council was notified city administrator Chris Ziegler was resigning effective Feb. 22. Ziegler, who lives out of town, was unable to attend the meeting due to poor road conditions in the area.

“Chris has been a huge asset to the city of Winnebago,” council member Jean Anderson said. “I value the time he spent with us, he will be missed.”

Ziegler had been the city administrator for the past six years. Prior to his employment as the administrator, he had served for four years on the City Council and two years as administrative assistant for the city.

He will begin his new job as fiscal supervisor for Human Services of Faribault and Martin counties on March 4.

Zieger and wife Barb have three children. Clara is a student at Blue Earth Area School, Ruby and Ada attend Genesis Classical Academy in Winnebago. The family resides in rural Easton.

“There is never a perfect time to leave,” Ziegler says. “It was just time for a change and I feel I have left the city in good shape for the transition.”

The Winnebago City Council will hold a special meeting on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. to formulate a plan to deal with the vacancy created by Ziegler’s departure.