T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Third Ward city council hopefuls Greg Nichols, Chris Bennett and Leopoldo Reyes observe Monday night’s meeting from the front row. Although the council did appoint a new city administrator, they opted against taking action on a temporary council appointment, and the decision will now go to the ward’s voters in a special election set for Sept. 12.

After a months-long process that included accepting applications, whittling them down to three finalists and conducting interviews to fill the position, the Marshalltown City Council voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Joseph Gaa as the next city administrator at the tail end of Monday night’s regular meeting.

Gaa, a native of Maryville, Mo., currently serves as the city manager in Aberdeen, S.D., the third largest city in that state with a population of just over 28,000. Prior to his appointment to that position in 2020, he served in similar roles in Dickinson, N.D., and the Iowa communities of Chariton and Woodbine.

As they approached the final item of Monday night’s agenda, the council went into closed session to hammer out the details and made some slight modifications to the three-year employment agreement, which will include up to $10,000 in relocation expenses if supported by receipts — with the added provision that it would have to be repaid if he does not meet the contract for any reason — and the state reimbursement rate (instead of the federal rate) for mileage.

Once the council returned to open session after about a half hour, a motion to approve Gaa passed by a unanimous vote. According to Mayor and acting City Administrator Joel Greer, Gaa is expected to start next month, and while the details of his contract including salary were not immediately available, they should be shared sometime in the near future.

After adjournment, At-Large Councilor Jeff Schneider weighed in on why he felt Gaa was the best choice to fill the position.

“He has a lot of relevant experience in towns our size. He’s just at a good point in his career where I think he’ll take our city forward,” Schneider said. “He gave direct responses. He seemed very honest about his responses even if they weren’t the answers we wanted to hear.”

Schneider added that as the city has faced a challenging period with staff turnover in light of the resignation of former City Administrator Jessica Kinser and longtime Housing and Community Development Director Michelle Spohnheimer, Gaa has dealt with similar situations before, and he felt that his experience is “what the town needs.”

Greer, who has reluctantly held the position of interim city administrator since the first interim city administrator, Robert Fagen, left at the end of June, shared a similar assessment of Gaa and was happy to bring him back to Iowa and closer to his hometown in northwest Missouri.

“They need a full-time staff person here to direct the directors, and there’s no question I wasn’t able to do that and it was pretty obvious to everybody, especially to me, frankly,” Greer said. “Somebody with his experience and his age and his maturity will be perfect to come into the situation here.”

Attempts to reach Gaa for immediate comment were unsuccessful, and a photo could not be promptly obtained without risking a copyright violation claim.

Unlike the city administrator position, another noteworthy opening was left unfilled Monday night as the council opted against making a temporary appointment to fill the Third Ward vacancy left by former Councilor Dex Walker’s resignation in July. All three of the interested candidates — Chris Bennett, Greg Nichols and Leopoldo Reyes — were in attendance, but the decision will now go to the voters of the ward, which covers the southwest quadrant of Marshalltown, on Sept. 12.

In other business, the council:

Presented a certificate for excellence in financial reporting to City Finance Director Diana Steiner.

Approved the consent agenda as listed.

Approved a resolution allowing open containers on public ways for Oktemberfest from Sept. 21-24 by a 5-1 vote, with Al Hoop opposing.

Approved an interlocal grant agreement for the Iowa/Byrne — Justice Assistance Grant program in the amount of $15,923 and split 50/50 with Marshall County.

Approved the second reading of an amendment to the code of ordinance reinstating language on golf cars by a 5-1 vote with Mike Ladehoff opposed and subsequently waived the third reading by a unanimous vote.

Approved directing staff to draft a resolution for the police department to purchase Global Navigation Satellite System equipment to assist with traffic accident and crime scene investigations and spend up to $5,000 by a 5-1 vote, with Gary Thompson opposed.

——

Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.