City Council
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, One Watershed One Plan Advisory Committee, and the Austin City Employee Credit Union Board.
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 and the MN Corrections Association, having recently served as president of both organizations.
Mayor King is an Austin native. He is a former trustee for Pacelli Catholic Schools and is a current trustee 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, Library Board, 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 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
Laura Helle
An Iowa farm girl by birth, Laura Helle is the Housing Development Director for Three Rivers Community Action. She is the council liaison to the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board, and the Culture and Arts Commission. She has experience serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission, Human Rights Commission, Port Authority, Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and Community Education Advisory Board. Laura’s favorite place in Austin is the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. 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
Rebecca Waller
To contact Council Member Waller:
Rebecca Waller
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
rebeccawaller460@gmail.com
Phone: 507-698-6682
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 a Grant Services Director for Workforce Development Inc.
Mike is very involved in the Austin community. His volunteer experience includes Austin Rotary, Impact Austin, Salvation Army, Development Corp of Austin, and others. He currently serves on the board of Discover Austin, the Salvation Army 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
Jason Baskin
Council Member Jason Baskin was elected to the Austin City Council in November 2018 and is currently serving his second term.
A dedicated community leader, Baskin serves as President of the Austin Port Authority, sits on the Board of Directors for the Development Corporation of Austin (DCA), is an active member of APEX Austin, and volunteers as a youth sports coach. His previous roles include 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. Additionally, he is a proud graduate of Leadership Austin.
Growing up in Austin, Baskin graduated with High Distinction from Austin High School, where he was the Minnesota State Champion in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and honored as the 2024 Distinguished Alumni. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and an MBA from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Professionally, he works as a marketing and strategy leader in the business sector.
Council Member Baskin is married to Dr. Katie Baskin, and together they are the proud parents of two wonderful daughters.
To contact Council Member Baskin:
Jason Baskin
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
jasonbaskinmn@gmail.com
Phone: 507-440-1729
Paul Fischer
Council Member Fischer was elected to the Austin City Council in November 2016 and was elected to his third term in November 2024.
He serves on the Housing and Redevelopment Authority Board (HRA), the Salvation Army Advisory Board, the YMCA Board, and the Austin/Mower County Homeownership Board.
Council Member Fischer is employed by Auto Value in Commercial Sales covering Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa.
Council Member Fischer has two children, Evan and Katara. Council Member Fischer proudly serves the Citizens of Austin and is honored to be a part of the City Council.
To contact Council Member Fischer:
Paul Fischer
500 4th Avenue NE
Austin, MN 55912
paultfischer@yahoo.com
Phone: 507-438-3155
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?
- Find your home on the map. (Precinct Ward Boundaries)
- Identify the ward(w) you live in.
- 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.
