Council members: Tuma’s A-okay

Owatonna City Administrator Jenna Tuma received high praise for her “leadership and modeling of the city’s values” in the performance evaluation of her first year in the role.

Both the summary of her evaluation – held in closed meetings over two days – and her compensation recommendation were shared via statements read by Mayor Matt Jessop and City Council Vice President Doug Voss, respectively, at the Sept. 18 city council meeting.

Using ratings and written input of council members, department heads and staff, “the city council concludes that Tuma’s performance … consistently meets the council’s expectations and exceeds them in areas of leadership, vision, customer service and innovation,” Jessop read.

She met and exceeded expectations overall, he said, while citing Tuma’s “visibility and access throughout the organization, her orientation to long-range financial capital and strategic planning.”

Jessop’s statement also lauded Tuma’s “composure and decisiveness through a demanding first year of many changes and challenges.”

Nearly half of the city’s department heads – five of 11 in place last year – have left; Police Chief Jeff Mundale’s retirement on Sept. 18 makes it six.

The city continues to look for a new fire chief and finance director; last week, Patrick McDermott was hired to serve as the new fleet and facilities director.

“Areas of opportunity,” Jessop said, include “increasing delegation of operational work, continuing to manage the pace and capacity of the organization, and continuing to strive to enhance communications internally and externally.”

Voss read a motion to “provide the same general wage increase and movement within her pay range and same date as provided to all other nonunion employees for the 2027 salary structure.”

The motion did not include specific rates or amounts, and was passed unanimously.

Tuma’s contract provided her with a salary of $178,900 in her first year with benefits, including paid time off, insurance and a $500 monthly allowance for use of her personal vehicle.

There was no discussion following either statement.

The council drew heat late last month after agreeing to pay $12,000 to Employee Strategies, a “culture strategist” firm from the Twin Cities, to conduct Tuma’s review.

There was no mention of the firm at the Sept. 18 meeting.