The Wagner community welcomed a new city administrator/ city finance officer on July 24th, Debbie Houseman. Debbie is a graduate of Andes Central High School. After graduation, she attended college at Dana College, South Dakota State University and Dakota Weslyn University before moving back to Lake Andes and working for the Fort Randall Casino/Hotel. After ten years at the casino, she took the position as manager at the WinnaVegas Casino Resort. In 2004, she returned to Lake Andes and became the Lake Andes city finance officer. Houseman held that office for 19 years before taking the position in Wagner.

Debbie’s previous experience has highly prepared her for this position. Wagner is very similar to Lake Andes in the aspects of knowing the city government is very important, knowing the city ordinances, municipal laws and city accounting based on the various budgets. Debbie wanted this position because it was an opportunity for change. She would be taking on a bigger role than her previous job in that the position is more as a city administrator than just a finance officer and she would have a bigger staff to work with. Houseman sees that her most important duties as the city administrator are to protect the financial interests of Wagner and to prepare the city’s budget.

There are many more facets to Houseman’s position than the community may know besides the handling of the water/sewer bills. Debbie sees part of her position as Wagner’s public relations which requires her to professionally represent Wagner. She handles code enforcement, manages all the city employees, creates and balances the city’s budget, and plays an important role on the city council. The city administrator’s role on the city council is to serve and advise the council, take the meeting minutes and provide information about the city’s finances and budget during the meetings.

A typical day for Debbie includes meeting with the maintenance staff to see what they have planned for the day, and currently she spends most of her day focusing on the 2024 budget. Debbie has many goals as city administrator of Wagner. One of the first goals is to look at the streets and parks to see what needs to be updated or what improvements need to be made. She wants to become comfortable with the city by knowing all the ordinances, developing good working relationships with the city council and members of her staff. Debbie is really excited about her new position and just wants to help Wagner be the best it can be.

Debbie has four sons Steven, Gabe, Zach and Riley. She serves on the Andes Central School board and has for the past 18 years. In her free time, she enjoys taking walks and spending time with her six grandchildren.

Congratulations on your new position and we cannot wait to see the great things you will do for Wagner!