Former deputy city clerk Judi Hynes, left, is Winnebago’s new city administrator.

The Winnebago City Council met for a special meeting on Tuesday, March 1, at 6 p.m. to resume their discussion about filling Winnebago’s vacant city administrator position.

By the end of the meeting, the council had finally filled the position with candidate Judi Hynes.

Hynes has been Winnebago’s deputy city clerk since November of 2020, but she has also been serving as the interim city administrator since the position was vacated.

The council interviewed two finalists, Hynes and Robert Harris III, for the city administrator position at a special meeting held on Feb. 15.

At the conclusion of the Feb. 15 meeting the council offered the position to Harris by a two-to-one vote, with council member Paul Eisenmenger opposing the motion.

An additional special City Council meeting was scheduled on Feb. 23 to negotiate a contract to offer Harris.

However, prior to the meeting, the council received last-minute correspondence from Harris stating his desire to withdraw his candidacy for the city administrator position.

The council agreed on Feb. 23 to resume their discussion regarding how to fill the vacant position at the March 1 special meeting.

On March 1, Mayor Scott Robertson brought forward Hynes as a candidate for the position.

Robertson reasoned Hynes was the runner-up finalist for the position following the interviews conducted on Feb. 15, and asked the council’s opinion about offering her the city administrator position now.

Council member Calvin Howard responded first.

“Judi (Hynes) has been doing the job,” he noted, adding, however, he wondered what applicants would emerge if the position were advertised again.

Eisenmenger felt the odds of recruiting yet more applicants for the position were too slim to count on.

“There are a dozen job openings for city administrators for these small towns,” Eisenmenger said. “They’re not getting anybody to apply for these jobs.” 

Eisenmenger put forward a motion to offer Hynes the city administrator position.

There was more discussion before Eisenmenger’s motion received a response. However, Howard eventually seconded Eisenmenger’s motion.

The motion passed unanimously.

“We need to get on with things,” Robertson noted. “I think we’ve got a really unique situation here, to have a really nice, close-knit front office in the city of Winnebago.” 

Contract negotiations preceded Hynes’s official acceptance of the position.

The council and Hynes agreed upon a $25.28 per hour salary, plus benefits. The offer matches wages Hynes had been receiving as interim city administrator.

Hynes also requested a suspension of her exempt (from overtime pay) status, which would make her eligible to receive overtime pay until a new deputy city clerk has been in training for one month.

After a new deputy city clerk had been trained, Hynes’s position would revert to its exempt status.

Hynes clarified the extension is legal, as she is currently performing deputy city clerk duties, and will continue to do so until the position is filled.

The council unanimously passed a motion to hire Hynes at a wage of $25.28 an hour, and extend her exempt status until a new deputy clerk is hired and trained.

Hynes’s appointment to – and subsequent acceptance of – the city administrator position necessitated some changes to the City Council roster.

Council member Tim Hynes, Judi Hynes’s husband, announced his resignation from the Winnebago City Council to avoid a conflict of interest.

Howard made a motion to accept Tim Hynes’s resignation, adding he feels Hynes has been an asset to the council, and he will be sad to see Hynes go.

Howard’s motion was unanimously passed.

The council also discussed how Hynes’s vacant City Council position will be filled.

“We can appoint, or put out for applications,” Robertson said.

Judi Hynes clarified whoever is chosen to fill the position will hold it for the next two years, until the seat is up for re-election once more.

The council agreed to advertise for a new council member for two weeks, after which time they will consider appointing an individual if no interest is expressed in the position.

The council also agreed to advertise for a new deputy city clerk for two weeks in the newspaper, on the radio, and on the League of Minnesota Cities site.

The council set the deadline for receiving deputy city clerk applications as March 18 at 4 p.m.

Finally, the council discussed an issue partially caused by Tim Hynes’s resignation.

Anderson explained the Board of Appeals gives the citizens of Winnebago the right to appeal property tax valuations set by Faribault County.

Typically, a resident who feels their property has been valued too high may request that the council change the county’s assessment of their property at Board of Appeals meeting.

However, for the council to be able to pass an appeal, at least two council members must receive mandated training at regular intervals.

Anderson said a misunderstanding had led her to miss the deadline for this round of required training, and Tim Hynes was the other council member who was properly trained.

Judi Hynes added the City Council will have the opportunity to train members once again in 2024.

Anderson suggested it would be a good idea for all City Council members to participate in the training in the future, as a precautionary measure.

“We have to be represented,” Anderson said. “We all have to do this so this doesn’t happen again.”