Waupaca Begins Transition Following Administrator Departure

Following the departure of the city administrator, Public Works Director Justin Berrens has stepped in to serve in the role on an interim basis while continuing his regular duties. Mayor Brian Smith acknowledged the added responsibility, noting the position’s importance to the city’s day-to-day operations.

Smith says the city will follow its standard process of reviewing the role before moving forward with hiring a replacement. “We have our normal process is that we try to evaluate a position when it becomes vacant, and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do here,” Smith said. “So we’re estimating it’s gonna take us anywhere from three to six months to evaluate the position and look at what that position might look like in the future. It might be the same, it might be different.”

During that time, Smith says the city will rely on its staff to maintain stability and continuity. “A city administrator is obviously a very important position,” he said. “But our department heads are ones that are more than willing to help step up, and we’ve got a good crew and we want to make sure that we stay cohesive.”

While the vacancy presents challenges, Smith says the city is taking a forward-looking approach. “It’s unfortunate that we have an opening, but again, we look at it as a way to look at for the future, and we’re hopeful that whatever we come up with is going to just make Waupaca that much better,” he said.

City officials expect the evaluation process to guide how the position is structured moving forward before a permanent hire is made.