City Council

City Council Code of Conduct

Meet Your Council Members


Mayor Steve King was first elected to the City Council in November 2008 served three terms until he was elected Mayor in 2021.

Mayor King is very active in the Austin community.  He serves on the Discover Austin Board, Family Connections, Mower County Community Health Board, Mower County Water Management Committee, One Watershed One Plan Advisory Committee, Smart Transit Authority, and the Area Drug Taskforce.

Mayor King has served as director of Mower County Corrections since January of 2005.  Prior to his current position, King was a long time employee with the Minnesota Department of Corrections based in St. Paul. During his tenure King held various positions including work release agent, probation and parole officer, enhanced sex offender agent, intensive supervised release agent, and community notification coordinator for level 3 sex offenders. He is active in the Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers, having recently served as president.  Mayor King was recently elected to serve as Minnesota Corrections Association vice president.

Mayor King is an Austin native.  He serves as a trustee for Pacelli Catholic Schools and is an active parishioner at St. Augustine Church where he lectures and volunteers.

Mayor King holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from St. Mary’s University in Winona.

He is married to Shelley, and they are the proud parents of Carter and Sam.

To contact Mayor:

Mayor Steve King
City of Austin
500 Fourth Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912-3773
Phone:507 437-9965
Office: 507-437-9453
Home: 507-433-2777
Cell: 507-438-0599
mayorking@ci.austin.mn.us

Jeff Austin

Council Member Jeff Austin was elected to the Austin City Council in November of 2006 to represent the First Ward. After serving three terms as council member in the First Ward, he was elected to serve as Council Member-At-Large in 2018.  He is proud to serve the residents of the First Ward and all citizens of Austin.

As a senior Council Member, Austin sits on several boards including the Austin/Mower County Homeownership Board, Human Rights Commission, Austin Port Authority, the Law Enforcement Center Committee, and the Blazing Star Joint Powers Board.

Council Member Austin was born in Austin and is a lifelong resident of Austin. Council Member Austin has been involved in many businesses in Austin including Gopher Distributing Company, The UPS Store and the Austin Elks Club. He is currently a Certified Assistant Store Leader for Kwik Trip in Austin. 

Council Member Austin has four children: Jeff, Katie, Kristina and Alex; and five grandchildren: Ethan, Austin, Weston, Charlotte and Abby. 

To contact Council Member Austin:

Jeff Austin
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
jeffreyaustin06@gmail.com
Phone: 507-438-7730


Mike Postma

Council Member Michael (Mike) Postma is serving his first term on the city council, having been elected in 2020 to represent the 2nd Ward. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications. He has worked in a variety of management roles for public and private industry and currently works as an Area Manager for Workforce Development Inc. At WDI, he helps connect job seekers with career opportunities in Mower County.

Mike is very involved in our community. His volunteer experience includes Austin Rotary, Impact Austin, Salvation Army, Development Corp of Austin, and others. He currently serves as a city board representative to Discover Austin and the Austin HRA. He and his family are active members of Cornerstone Church. Mike has an affinity for the arts and can often be found playing in the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Community Band, and Austin Big Band.

 To contact Council Member Postma:

Mike Postma
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
postmaforaustin@gmail.com
Phone: 507-481-3090


Geoff Baker

Council Member Geoff Baker was appointed to represent the first Ward in July of 2022. He had previously represented the First Ward from 2005 to 2006.

Council Member Baker has lived in Austin for 23 years. He has a B. S. From Iowa State and an M.B.A. from the University of Kansas. He is the President of McFarland Truck Lines, Inc. in Austin.

In addition to his time on the City Council, he served on the Austin Utilities Board from 2011 to 2020. He is the Past Chairman of the Minnesota Trucking Association, Past chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Past Chair of the Mower County CEO Board and Currently serves on the Board of directors for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

Council member Baker is married to Diane Baker who is the CEO of the YMCA at the ACRC. Their two sons, Andrew and Sean, are AHS Grads.

 To contact Council Member Baker:

Geoff Baker
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
Geoff.baker@mcfgtl.com
Phone: 507-279-0484

Paul Fischer

Third Ward Council Member Paul Fischer 

Council Member Fischer was elected to the Austin City Council November 2016. He was elected to his second term November 2020.

He serves on the Salvation Army Advisory Board, Housing and Redevelopment Authority Board (HRA), The Austin/Mower County Homeownership Board and Smart Transit Authority.

An Austin native, Council Member Fischer believes citizens should be involved in their community in whatever capacity they can. Austin is a great city with many things to offer all age groups and I’m honored to be part of The City Council.

Council Member Fischer has two children Evan and Katara. They are active members of Saint Augustine Church and the YMCA.

To contact Council Member Fischer:

Paul Fischer
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
paultfischer@yahoo.com
Phone: 507-438-3155

Laura Helle

An Iowa farm girl by birth, Laura Helle is the Executive Director of Austin Area Arts. She is the board president of the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) and has served on the City of Austin Culture and Arts Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission and Human Rights Commission. She lives with her husband Matt Stobaugh, a special education teacher at Sumner Elementary, two daughters, and a rescue dog.

To contact Council Member Helle:

Laura Helle
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
Laura@thehelles.com
Phone: 507-438-3988

Jason Baskin

Council Member Jason Baskin was elected to the City Council in November 2018 and is currently serving his first term.

Baskin is an active leader in the community, serving as a member of the Austin Port Authority, on the Executive Committee of the Development Corporation of Austin (DCA), and as a member of APEX Austin. He has previously served as Board Secretary for the Austin Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA), Chair of the Austin Human Rights Commission, and Vice Chair of the Red Cross of Mower County. He is a graduate of Leadership Austin.

Council Member Baskin grew up in Austin, graduating High Distinction from Austin High School, where he was the Minnesota State Champion in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Carlson School of Management and an MBA from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, gradating Beta Gamma Sigma. He works in Marketing.

Council Member Baskin is married to Katie, and they are the proud parents of Ava and Olivia.

To contact Council Member Baskin:

Jason Baskin
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
jasonbaskinmn@gmail.com
Phone: 507-440-1729

Joyce Poshusta

Joyce and her husband have made Austin their home since 2000.  They have raised 3 boys and are both employed in Austin.  

For most of Joyce’s career, she has worked in housing, including Market Rate, Subsidized and Senior Housing.

Joyce has served on several boards throughout the years, including Apple Lane, Rachel’s Hope, Austin HRA, Library, Senior Center, Beyond Yellow Ribbon and the Culture and Arts Commission. 

She enjoys being involved and volunteers when able.  She is honored to serve as a Council Member in our wonderful community.

To contact Council Member Poshusta:

Joyce Poshusta
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
jposhusta@gmail.com
Phone:  507-279-7510

 

 Who are my city council representatives?

  1. Find your home on the map. (Precinct Ward Boundaries)
  2. Identify the ward(w) you live in.
  3. Contact information of that ward’s two Council Members is above.  The Council Member-at-Large also represents the entire City.

Please call 437-9940 if you need assistance in determining your Council Members.

Austin, MN Code of Ordinances

Section 3.01 COUNCIL COMPOSITION AND QUALIFICATIONS.
The elective officers of said council shall be the mayor and seven council members. All officers shall be residents and qualified voters in said city.

Section 3.02 ELECTION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
Each ward shall elect two council members, each of whom shall be a resident and qualified voter within the ward for which he or she is elected. There shall also be elected within and for said city one council member-at-large who shall be a resident of said city.

Section 3.03 TERMS OF OFFICE.
The official term of all elective officers under the provisions of the Charter shall commence on the first business day in January next succeeding their election, and all officers to be appointed to elective offices by the city council as hereinafter provided shall enter upon the duties of their respective offices at the time specified by the city council. All ward council members shall serve a term of four years.  Council members-at-large elected prior to November 1, 2014 shall serve terms of two years.  Council members-at-large elected after November 1, 2014 shall serve terms of four years.  Mayors elected prior to November 1, 2012 shall serve terms of two years.  Mayors elected after November 1, 2012 shall serve terms of four years.  All officers will serve until their successors are elected and qualified.

Vision Statement

Please note that any correspondence, such as e-mail or letters, sent to city officials or staff becomes public record and is available for public/media review.

Citizen Involvement
Every Council meeting has an allocated time at the end of each meeting for citizens to address the Council with questions or concerns they may have. If at all possible, if you do wish to appear before the council, please schedule your appearance in advance with Brianne Wolf at (507) 437-9944. Agendas for all council meetings are available the Friday before at the City Administration Office, 500 Fourth Avenue NE. All meetings are open to the public with the exception of closed sessions.

When the Council Meets
PUBLIC MEETINGS. The Austin City Council convenes the first and third Monday of each month, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, to study agenda issues and take action on items such as allocation of funds, award of bids, contracts, leases and agreements, public hearings on budget, zoning and planning issues, bond expenditures and various public hearings.

City council meetings are aired on cable channel 180 at 11:00 am on Saturdays and Sundays. They are also shown on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:00 pm.

All meetings are conducted in strict compliance with the Open Meeting Law of the State of Minnesota.

If you as a citizen feel your questions or concerns have not been answered by a department or elected official, you are welcome to report the situation to City Hall at 437-9940, and we will do our best to assist you.