Wells city administrator CJ Holl makes a point at the City Council meeting on Monday night. Holl resigned and gave his 30 day notice.

In a surprising announcement at last Monday night’s Wells City Council meeting, CJ Holl announced he was resigning as the city administrator of Wells.

In a letter to the mayor dated June 4, Holl had announced his intention to resign and give the council a 30-day notice as per his contract.

The three members of the council present at the meeting reluctantly accepted Holl’s resignation. Since the meeting was on June 14, Holl’s official last day as the Wells administrator will be on July 14.

Holl became the Wells city administrator almost exactly three years ago, starting his job at the City Hall on May 7, 2018.

Holl and his wife, Bridgette, and two daughters, Lily and Daisy, moved to Wells from the Pelican Rapids area.

After the council meeting on Monday, Holl said the family is moving back to the Pelican Rapids area.

“My wife, Bridgette, is going back to work at the school in her previous position there as a Spanish teacher,” Holl said. “She has been the Spanish teacher here in Wells. I am taking a position as the Mahnomen County administrator.”

Their daughter Lily will be a senior this coming school year, and Daisy will be a ninth grader.

“This was a tough, very difficult, not easy decision to make,” Holl says. “We all love Wells. I honestly did not expect this to happen. Making it harder was pulling up roots that are deeply held in the community. Both Bridgette and I are involved in many things and organizations.”

Holl also said he is proud of where Wells is as a city.

“I think people have taken notice of our city and the things we collectively have gotten done,” Holl said. “I have strived to project a positive outlook and image for the city.”

After the council accepted Holl’s resignation at the meeting they looked over a proposal from the South Central Services Cooperative to assist in the search for a new city administrator.

The proposal would be at a fee not to exceed $8,545. The fee would include media postings of the open position, hiring announcements, background checks, a profile binder, mileage and a community meeting/gathering.

The three council members present voted to accept the proposal and move forward with finding a new administrator.

Holl added he checked with Mike Humpal of SCSC who said they really did not have a prospective interim city administrator candidate available at this time.