Mount Vernon’s Chris Nosbisch named city ‘Manager of the Year’

MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon City Manager Chris Nosbisch — who was recognized as Manager of the Year by the Iowa City/County Management Association — is looking toward the future of the growing community.

Between plans to revitalize the downtown, possibly building a new pool, renovating a former church into a new police station and purchasing new land for a public works site, Nosbisch said his goal is to “leave the community in a better position than when I got there.”

Not that Nosbisch, 46, has plans to leave anytime soon after seven years in the role. The city of about 4,500 residents is “an incredible place to work and raise a family,” he said.

Nosbisch said he is “humbled” by the Manager of the Year recognition, for which he was nominated by Mount Vernon Mayor Tom Wieseler.

“Chris makes me look good — probably better than I deserve,” Wieseler said. “He is good at his job and Mount Vernon is lucky to have him.”

The annual Manager of the Year Award — which is bestowed by the Iowa City/County Management Association — honors chief administrators whose work performance represent the best possible application of management principles and whose contributions increase public awareness of the value of professional management.

One of the hardest parts of Nosbisch’s job is turning off his “critical” eye to stop and enjoy his community. Unlike Nosbisch, Mount Vernon’s residents and visitors aren’t necessarily seeing where improvements can be made, he said.

“You’re more critical of the places you work than others will be,” he said. “I tell my staff I want us to drive to be better. I don’t want to be happy with OK. I’m always looking for us to take that next step.”

One of the projects Nosbisch expects to take “center stage” in the next few years will be improving infrastructure in Mount Vernon’s downtown district.

The downtown area is “integral” to the local economy, Nosbisch said. The most important part of the project would be ensuring it’s as least disruptive as possible. Next month, the city will hold in-person and online forums to begin engaging residents and an online survey will be available.

“Public communication is priority number one and talking through those potential obstacles,” Nosbisch said. “We’re very astute to the fact that some of these businesses just started to recuperate from COVID-19 measures.”

This project has been discussed by city leaders for about a decade, Wieseler said. “We’ve taken the position that we’re not going to kick things down the road for the next council and mayor.”

The project — which could address roads, sidewalks and underground infrastructure — could cost between $2 and $6 million and would need to be approved by the Mount Vernon City Council, Nosbisch said.

“Our charge will be to keep the space genuine, not commercial,” Nosbisch said. “We have a wonderful downtown and thousands of visitors annually that come and enjoy everything Mount Vernon, and we want to continue that.”

The city also is considering the future of its community pool, which was built at 919 2nd Ave N in the 1950s and needs to be replaced. One of the largest obstacles for this is funding the project that could cost up to $13 million, Nosbisch estimates.

One option could be fundraising for part of the project, like the city did for the recently completed Lester Buresh Wellness Center, 855 Palisades Rd SW. Mount Vernon raised more than $1.5 million in donations.

Fundraising also was the approach of the Mount Vernon Community School District took to build a new activities complex that opened in September.

  Buy Photo

Other projects under Nosbisch’s purview — with city council approval — include the purchasing of a former church building that is being renovated into a new police department that will serve the communities of Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

The city about five years ago also purchased nine acres at 1655 Bryant Rd. SW for a new public works site. This year, two buildings were constructed on the site to store equipment like the city’s snow plows and leaf vacuums and a compost site.

An additional three or four buildings will need to be constructed at the public works site for it to be “fully operational,” Nosbisch said.

Nosbisch graduated from Iowa State University in 2000 with a degree in community regional planning. Before coming to Mount Vernon, he worked in county and city government roles in Nebraska and Iowa, including Burlington, Norwalk and Tipton.

Preparing Mount Vernon for the future by facilitating projects like this is only a portion of Nosbisch’s role as city manager.

“There’s not a single day that is ever similar to another,” Nosbisch said. “My goal is making sure the ship moves in the direction it’s supposed to.”

Nosbisch and his wife Lisa Nosbisch have been married for almost 22 years. They have three children: Kennede, who is studying to be a nurse at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Tristin who is a senior at Mount Vernon High School, and Charlee, who is a sixth-grader at Mount Vernon Middle School.

Nosbisch also serves on the board of directors for the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, which provides services across the region.

  Buy Photo

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com