Rose Creek council accepts clerk resignation, appoints interim clerk and approves personnel policy

The Rose Creek City Council on Monday accepted the resignation of Clerk/Treasurer Kristine Allas, voted to post the open clerk position and appointed Interim Clerk/Treasurer Jodi Mandt at $25 per hour until a permanent hire completes the evaluation period.

Mayor Andrew Leisen summarized the council’s Jan. 26 closed-session performance evaluation under Minnesota Statute 13D.05 and said the council accepted Allas’s resignation. At the Feb. 2 meeting the council discussed posting the vacancy, including background checks, hours, salary and a probationary period; Councilmember Wendel Sprung moved to post the job and Councilmember Andrew Felten seconded the motion, which carried.

The council also approved personnel and compensation items resulting from employee performance evaluations. After a closed-session review of staff performance, the council approved a $1.00-per-hour raise for Public Works/Maintenance employee Aaron Wagner, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026 (motion by Wendel Sprung; second by Andrew Felten). The council next appointed Jodi Mandt as the city’s Clerk/Treasurer at $25 per hour until a permanent clerk is hired and completes the evaluation period (motion by Tom Lewison; second by Wendel Sprung).

Separately, the council reviewed and adopted edits to the city’s employee personnel policy. The council clarified that handling alcohol at Fire Department and Creek Club fundraising events is not a required employee duty and therefore the policy’s restrictions on alcohol handling do not apply to those event activities. The council also added a half-day paid holiday on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, set a 180-day notice requirement for employee retirement, capped ESST accrual at 80 hours with up to 80 hours of unused ESST carried over, and set a 120-hour vacation maximum with up to 40 hours allowed to carry over. Mayor Leisen said he will incorporate the discussed language and the council approved the policy (motion by Mark Conradt; second by Andrew Felten).

On other business, Public Works/Maintenance Aaron Wagner presented a request to join MN WARN mutual-aid for public works; the council approved completing the signature and application (motion by Tom Lewison; second by Mark Conradt). The council also approved payment of monthly claims and updated bank account authorizations to remove Kristine Allas and grant authorization to Interim Clerk/Treasurer Jodi Mandt. Mayor Leisen proposed scheduling a budget working session after completion of the city’s 2025 audit; Clerk Mandt was asked to coordinate the audit with City Auditor Smith and Shafter, with an expected completion in March–April.

The meeting ended with adjournment at 8:45 p.m.