“I wanted to inform the council that this week will be my last week in the office,” he said in a Dec. 11 email that was shared by Webster City Mayor John Hawkins.

“When I submitted my notice of resignation, I made reference to using my accumulated leave time. I have a sufficient balance built up that would cover the remaining time. In lieu of carrying over and drawing down my leave over the next several pay periods I am electing to just take the lump sum amount minus 50% of moving expenses owed to the City of Webster City per my employment agreement as part of my final paycheck for the pay period ending this Friday and paid on Friday December 22, 2023.”

The council formally accepted Ortiz-Hernandez’ resignation at its Nov. 6 meeting. It was then stated that it would be effective Jan. 18, 2024. Ortiz-Hernandez has accepted a position as the assistant city manager for the City of Ennis, Texas.

Webster City lost its assistant city manager, Biridiana Bishop, last Tuesday. She announced her resignation in November shortly after Ortiz-Hernandez.

She was being considered for an interim city manager position, and as a candidate in the formal search for a new city manager, according to Hawkins.

All this means that tonight the City Council of Webster City plans to go into closed session during its meeting and will likely choose an interim city manager from a field of more than a half dozen candidates who have expressed interest, Hawkins said.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers of City Hall, 400 Second St., Webster City. With the exception of the closed session, this meeting is open to the public.

A more formal search for a permanent city manager is ongoing.

Ortiz-Hernandez served as the city manager in Webster City from 2016 to 2018. When he returned to Webster City in 2021 from Wasco, California, where he served as city manager, he requested that his colleague, Biridiana Bishop, also be hired as Webster City’s assistant city manager. She was public works director for the City of Wasco, California.

Jeffrey Sheridan, the city manager who replaced Ortiz-Hernandez in July of 2019, was released from his position in December 2020, online records show. He was hired following a long search to find Ortiz-Hernandez’s replacement. Sheridan was serving as the town manager for the town of Lowell, Indiana, when he was hired for the Webster City position.