Richland City Council officially hires its interim city manager for $12,000 more a year
Richland appointed a new city manager about a year after parting ways with the previous one.
City Council members officially hired Jon Amundson, who had been serving as the interim city manager, Tuesday night. The council approved the move as part of its routine business along with about 12 other items in a single vote.
According to a contract attached to the measure, the position comes with a $205,000 annual salary, nearly $12,000 more then his predecessor was making in 2020. In addition, he will get a $500 a month allowance for a car.
If the city decides to end his employment, Amundson is entitled to three months severance pay.
The city manager is the top administrator with all of the other departments reporting to him. He then answers to the council.
“The city Council feels confident asking Jon to fill this role long-term,” Mayor Ryan Lukson said in a news release. “”He has served in this capacity for almost one year and served in the role of assistant city manager for 12 years prior. He has proven himself to be a respected leader, financial steward and champion of Richland.”
Councilman Terry Christensen said members of the staff and the City Council had worked on the agreement, mostly behind closed doors, since late last year. He said he was extremely pleased to have Amundson in the position.
Amundson, the previous assistant city manager, stepped into the role after the council and former City Manager Cindy Reents agreed to go separate ways in a tearful meeting marked with accusations from one councilman that Reents was fired because she didn’t always “kiss the rings” of some on the council.
Reents had worked for the city 17 years — 13 of them as the city manager.
Since taking over the role, it has been Amundson’s job to lose, observers agreed. The city hired an outside consultant to perform a review of Amundson before officially offering him the job.
“We could have gone on a national search, but why?” Councilwoman Sandra Kent said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We have one of the best city manager right here in Richland.”
Amundson’s career in public administration started in 2003 as a management intern in Lenexa, Kansas, and then moved to Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. He came to Richland in 2008 as the assistant city manager. Along with overseeing several departments, he led citywide initiatives on state and federal legislative priorities, economic development projects, collective bargaining, and strategic planning.
He received his bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University and a masters in in public administration at the University of Kansas.
“I am incredibly grateful to (the) City Council for this opportunity. I love the city of Richland organization and community and am excited to serve in the capacity of city manager,” Amundson said in a release.
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.