Administration

The City Administrator reports to the Mayor and Council, and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the City Council and administering daily operations.


City Hall / City Administration Offices
500 Fourth Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912.
Phone (507) 437-9940
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 7am – 5pm

 

Craig Clark –  City Administrator
507-437-9941

Craig Clark, as Administrator for the City of Austin, is the Chief Administrative Officer of the City and is responsible for working with the Mayor and City Council and overseeing Department Heads and operations of the City. Clark has a long tenure of public service at the local, state and federal level. Most recently he served as the City Administrator for Worthington, Minnesota, a position he held for just under six years.

Clark also serves as the Executive Director of the Austin Port Authority which fits well with his interest in economic development as he has worked on advancing public and private partnerships to grow a community’s tax base and help create jobs.

Working to advance local governments’ interests and promoting economic development Clark is also active in serving on the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities Board and Economic Development Committee and is a past Chair of the League of Minnesota Cities Local Economies Committee. With his experience working within the legislative process Clark has the unique ability to effectively advocate for positive advances that both understand and meet the needs of Cities in greater Minnesota.

In 2010 Craig was honored with the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities “Excellence in Service by Non-elected Official” award. Prior to his work at the municipal level Craig worked as a Committee Administrator for the Minnesota House of Representatives and as a senior legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives providing him a perspective of multiple levels of government.

A native of Indianola, Iowa Clark earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Buena Vista College and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Hamline University where he was the recipient of the “Hamline University Scholar” award for academic excellence. Clark is married and has three children. In his free time he participates in civic organizations and enjoys cycling and collecting antiques.

Trish Wiechmann – Human Resources Director

Tom Dankert – Administrative Service Director

The Finance Department, headed by the Administrative Services Director is responsible for the fiscal management, processing and maintenance of all accounting transactions including accounting policies and procedures, payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash receipts, financial statement, bonding, investment program, insurance, capital expenditures and fixed assets.

Brianne Wolf – City Clerk

Wanda Hatfield – Administration/Clerk/Cashier

OPEN – Administration/Clerk/Cashier

Craig Byram – City Attorney

The City Attorney is the legal advisor to all offices of the City of Austin. The City Attorney attends, prosecutes or defends certain suits, actions or proceedings for and on behalf of the city.