Yuba City city manager announces resignation
Steve Kroeger informs council members, staff at meeting he will leave his post in February
In an unexpected move during Tuesday’s Yuba City City Council meeting, City Manager Steve Kroeger announced he is resigning effective next month.
Kroeger, 50, announced his decision toward the end of the Calendar ..................... Classifieds ..................... Comics ...................... Crossword ..................... Dear Abby .....................
Forum .......................... Local ..................... Local Roundup ................ Lottery ....................... Nation ................ meeting, telling his colleagues he was in need of a personal change. In his announcement, Kroeger credited staff for their dedication to the city’s continuous improvement.
“With continuous improvement, both organizationally and personally, comes change.
Obituaries ...................... Scoreboard ................... Sports ........................ Sudoku ......................... Weather ..................... As much as it can be a very human tendency to resist change, we must recognize when it has arrived and choose to embrace it,” he wrote in his resignation letter.
Kroeger has been with the city for the past 19 years. During his
time as city manager, Yuba City has almost doubled in size, from 35,000 people to about 67,000 people.
“This year, at age 50, I’ve come to realize it’s time to step back, do a little personal growth and continued learning and see what happens next,” Kroeger said on Wednesday. “There is not a grand plan for after I leave here to land somewhere else. For me, it’s more important just to step back and gain some perspective.”
He said leaving will be bittersweet, but he looks forward to the next chapter of his life and will leave city ranks “with a feeling of excitement for the future.”
“The employees here are wonderful and have given me the inspiration to serve over all of these years. What gives me great comfort, even in my absence, is that the city will move forward and provide great services to the community because we have 300 people that believe in the mission of community service,” Kroeger said.
Kroeger’s last day as head of the city will be Feb. 15. He said he plans on staying in Yuba-sutter for the foreseeable future.
“We will definitely miss him and his expertise and dedication to the city, but we respect his choice and we will all move on and hopefully show some improvement along the way,” said Mayor Shon Harris.
Harris said council members will begin the process of selecting an interim city manager before someone can be found to fill the position permanently. Kroeger said he will assist the council in the process to ensure a smooth transition.
“In closing, I will simply say ‘thank you.’ Thank you to the many elected officials whom I have served over my career,” Kroeger wrote in his resignation letter. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve this community and the employees of this great organization.”