Washington has a new city administrator.
Jeff Fiegenschuh's employment agreement was approved unanimously Monday by the Washington City Council after a months-long, nationwide recruiting effort that involved consultant Arndt Municipal Support of Jacksonville, city staff and officials, and City Attorney Mark Walton.
Fiegenschuh comes to Washington from Rochelle, where he served as city manager since 2017. He resigned from his job there Dec. 8.
Rochelle, located about 80 miles west of Chicago and 25 miles south of Rockford, has a population of about 9,600. Washington's population is about 16,000.
Fiegenschuh's starting annual salary in Washington is $180,000, about $10,000 less than what he was making in Rochelle. He'll receive $10,000 in moving expenses so he can relocate to Washington.
His employment in Washington will start Jan. 19 and continue until the first council meeting in May of 2029, which will mark the end of Lilija Stevens' term as mayor, unless there are changes prior to then.
Interim City Administrator Dennis Carr, who has filled that role since May in addition to continuing as city engineer, will return to focusing all his efforts on city engineer work when Fiegenschuh comes on board.
"I'm excited to join Washington because it's a community that believes in strong municipal leadership, high-performing services, and investing in people. I look forward to helping our mayor, city council, and staff move Washington confidently into its next chapter," Fiegenschuch said in a statement released by the city of Washington.
Washington Alderperson Brandon Moss called Fiegenschuh an "exemplary candidate who checked a lot of boxes" and "a good fit for the city to lead us into the future."
He also brought up the elephant in the room: The high rate of turnover in Washington in an important position that runs the day-to-day operations at City Hall.
"We've had quite a bit of turnover the last several years," Moss said. "Rightfully so, probably the citizens of Washington are fairly tired of seeing turnover in that role, both from a leadership standpoint and the financial implications that come along with turning over that role.
"We found someone who has a positive job history with a positive length of his employment at his previous stops."
Fiegenschuh will be Washington's sixth city administrator since 2015, following Tim Gleason, Richard Downey, Jim Culotta, Ray Forsythe and Jim Snider. Each resigned.
Snider, who was hired in December 2021, stepped down in August 2024, eight months before his contract expired on April 30, 2025, the final day of the 2024-25 fiscal year.
After he resigned, Snider was placed on administrative leave from Aug. 30, 2024 to Feb. 3, 2025. He received his regular pay and benefits during that time, and he also received a lump sum payment of about $38,600 on Feb. 3.
In exchange for that financial arrangement, Snider agreed not to file any legal action against the city.
Snider was paid about $161,500 in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Here's Fiegenschuh's administrative work history, according to the LinkIn profile:
• 2008-11: Princeton city manager
• 2011-12: Shorewood village administrator
• 2012-14: Windsor Heights (Iowa) city administrator
• 2014-17: Rantoul village administrator
• 2017-25: Rochelle city manager
He's currently serving as the downstate president of the Illinois City/County Management Association.
His college background includes a bachelor's degree in political science and government from Wayne State College in Nebraska in 1999 and a master's degree in public administration in 2004 from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Alderperson John Blundy said he believes Fiegenschuh will provide "new ideas, and give us a fresh start."
Stevens said Fiegenschuh's "background in strong organizational leadership, fiscal stewardship and experience in building trusting relationships makes him an excellent fit for Washington.
"He understands how to move projects forward while keeping residents as the center of every decision."
Stevens also praised the selection process, calling it transparent and open.
Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows said in a statement, "Jeff has provided steady leadership through times of both opportunity and challenge. His commitment to responsible financial management, economic growth, and high-quality city services has made a lasting impact on Rochelle."
According to a news release issued by the city of Washington, Fiegenschuh likes spending time away from the office with his family and dog, and is a fan of Star Wars, comics and horror conventions.
Fiegenschuh will become the second-highest paid government official in Tazwell County, behind only Pekin City Manager John Dossey, who makes about $185,000 annually.
