City Government Saga in Flatonia Takes Another Unexpected Turn

City Manager and City Secretary Resign, Citing Division and ‘Chaos’

Correction: The article as originally published named the wrong day of the week for the August 2 meeting. It has been corrected in the story below.

Flatonia City Manager Sarah Novo and City Secretary Heather Ambrose submitted letters of resignation last week.

The Flatonia City Council will consider those resignations at a meeting scheduled for Monday, August 2.

“As you know I was entirely unaware of the many issues plaguing Flatonia when I took this role, and although I have invested significant time, effort and energy into repairing these issues, I cannot stay in place where I am not able to move forward without the full support of this team,” Novo said in her resignation letter dated Thursday, July 29.

The City hired Novo in March of last year. Soon thereafter, she launched an investigation into irregularities within the City Secretary’s office. That investigation led to the departure of former City Secretary Melissa Brunner in August of last year. Later, former Flatonia City Attorney Angela Beck resigned.

The City hired Heather Ambrose to replace Brunner in January of this year. Just four months later in May, Ambrose almost resigned but reversed course after the City Council agreed to address a number of her complaints.

At the time, the Record obtained internal City emails through the Public Information Act in which Ambrose stated to Novo the following: “I have come to realize that the problems that have plagued this organization (the City of Flatonia) are not resolved because they are fundamental to the core of the leaders and the town. Until that changes, Flatonia will in my opinion continue to be a revolving door of leaders.”

In her latest resignation letter dated July 30, Ambrose stated the following: The stress of the disfunctionality, chaos, financial uncertainty, backbiting, subterfuge and lack of support has taken a toll on me both mentally and physically.

She asked the City to make her resignation effective Aug. 1.

“I normally would provide a two-weeks notice period or longer, however, for my health it would be best that I make my notice effective immediately,” Ambrose said in the letter.

Novo gave the City 30-days notice in her resignation letter.