Hass has served for 40 years
By Holly Neumann
The Manawa Common Council recognized City Clerk Cheryl Hass for her 40 years of service to the city.
Hass is set to retire on Dec. 2.
“This has been a lot of fun. I have met a lot of people and had a lot of great experiences,” she said. “It was really hard signing my retirement papers.”
Mayor John Smith thanked Hass for her service.
“Without a doubt, I have learned a lot from you,” said Smith. “We could sit down virtually every morning and discuss what is going on in the city. We may not have always agreed, but in the end, we were still friends. That is the one thing I am most proud of.”
Smith said before he was elected mayor, one thing he heard was the city was run by Cheryl Hass and Frankie Jaeger, former Department of Public Works supervisor.
“What I’d like to say to that is the city of Manawa was very fortunate to have two paid employees who cared about the city as much as they did,” he said. “Without their love for the city, it would have been very difficult for Manawa to get through this last recession and actually see parts of the city grow.”
Logan Hass will fill the city clerk position, beginning on Dec. 3.
In other business, Katelynn Boerst and Shannon Wesoloski were hired as full-time officers for the city of Manawa, with the requirement to follow the City Personnel Manual in addition to an 18-month probation period required by Chief of Police James Gorman.
Gorman thanked the board for making this decision.
“This will help make my job a heck of a lot easier once I get them on board,” Gorman said. “Katelynn will start on Dec. 1 and Shannon on Dec. 12.”
The common council also approved a police wage increase in a stepped manner using six-month increments, based on performance evaluations.
“I am glad that this is performance based and not just automatic,” said Smith.
Gorman agreed.
It was also decided that all city employees will receive a 2.5 percent bonus for 2018.
“I would like to thank all departments,” said Smith. “We are in a position where we just can’t give raises. So being able to give a 2.5 percent bonus this year shows how much we appreciate you. Congratulations and thank you.”