ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
Sara Ott will resign from her job as Aspen city manager at the end of the week, pending Aspen City Council approval of a separation agreement.
The move comes nearly two months after the city of Louisville, Colorado, announced Ott as one of four finalists for its city manager position. She was not chosen for that position.
Her last day will be just a few days before the March 4 election, which involves races for two city council seats, the mayoral seat and two referendums on the entrance to Aspen.
The city council will review the separation agreement during its meeting today. According to the agreement, Ott will receive a new compensation rate of $283,893 until her last day on Friday, Feb. 28. It’s a 6% raise from her current salary of $267,824, which the city council approved in a contract renewal in December 2023.
She also will receive a lump sum payment equivalent to 10 months’ salary, calculated using the $283,893 amount. She is resigning from the city in good standing, according to the agreement.
The city of Louisville announced Ott as one of four finalists for its city manager position in early January. She was the runnerup for the position, after the Louisville City Council voted 7-0 at a Jan. 27 meeting to extend an offer to another candidate.
Ott took the helm of the city in September 2019 when the city council promoted her from assistant city manager. She agreed to a base salary of $203,000 at the time.
As city manager, Ott served as chief administrative officer of Aspen government. The council has the final hiring authority for the city manager’s job.
Ott was the township administrator in Dublin, Ohio, for three years before taking the role as assistant city manager in Aspen in 2017. She also held administrative roles in Kansas and Missouri.
She was appointed interim city manager in early 2019 after longtime city manager Steve Barwick resigned at the city council’s request. Ott was officially named Aspen city manager later in 2019 after a nationwide search that attracted 64 applicants.
Only six months after Ott assumed the role of city manager, she was faced with handling the city’s COVID-19 pandemic response. In 2020, she helped implement pandemic-era programs, such as establishing a mandatory mask zone and a $6 million response-and-recovery package for local businesses.
The city council conducts annual evaluations of the city manager’s performance at the end of the year. Since November, the city council has held a number of executive sessions to discuss the city manager review and contract discussions, one as recently as Feb. 11.
Mayor Torre said the decision was made in the best interest of all parties.
“We just talked about what’s best for all parties, some of (Ott’s) career goals and some of the city of Aspen’s goals, and where those meet and where those diverge,” he said.
According to a city news release attached to the separation agreement, Deputy City Manager Diane Foster will be acting city manager until further plans are announced.
Ott could not be reached for comment by time of publication.
In the city’s news release, Ott said it has been an honor to serve as city manager.
“I am appreciative of the opportunity to accomplish and advance many initiatives that continue to shape Aspen’s future,” she said in the release. “I am grateful to the City Council, staff and community members for their collaboration and support during my tenure.”
The city council will outline a plan for a recruitment and selection process of a new city manager in the coming weeks, according to the release.