Turning a page: Clerk leaving for Colorado
Expressing a desire to turn the page and start a new chapter in their life, Minneota City Clerk Alexis Ramirez and her family will be moving to Colorado at the end of the month. "I will miss the supportive community and my co-workers," said Ramirez.
"But we just felt we wanted to try something new and we love Colorado." Ramirez's husband, Alvaro, who was working mason construction in Northfield while his wife and their two children lived in Minneota, has already made the move to Colorado and is working construction in Aspen.
When Alexis and her daughter, Emily, 15; and son Isaiah, 10; make the move to Colorado in late August, the family will live in Rifle, a town of 9,200 people and a regional center of the cattle ranching industry. "My last day working in Minneota will be August 30," said Alexis.
"We will be looking for a house to buy once we are all in Colorado. Once we settled in after the move and get the kids into school, we will pursue the option of buying a house." The personable Ramirez has been the City Clerk for the past 5 1/2 years. Alexis is a native of Los Angeles and Alvaro is from Guatemala.
"We had family in Minnesota asking us to visit and we came and liked it so much that we decided to stay and moved to Minneota," said Alexis.
“I started working for the Bank of the West before I began working with the City in April of 2014."
Among her duties as City Clerk, Ramirez handled day-to-day operations of all aspects of government and public administration, including public and employee assistance, utility billing operations, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, state and federal reports, assisting in annual budgets and audits, assisting in the issue of licenses and permits, helping with the City's website, City Council agenda and minutes distribution, and more.
"Alexis is a very hard worker and learns things quickly," said City Administrator Shirley Teigland.
"You can trust her to do things well. And her ability of speaking Spanish has been a real positive." The Ramirez family has been to Colorado a few previous times to visit a friend and fell in love with the state. "Colorado is such a beautiful state," Alexis said. "And we really like the variety of adventures my kids can try and enjoy growing up.”
"I'm really looking forward to seeing what God has planned for our lives in this new adventure." One concern sometimes about a move is how the children respond to leaving friends and a community they are used to.
"My kids loved it when we were in Colorado," said Alexis. "With our recent conversations, I ask them every day how they feel (about Colorado) and if they want to come back and both of them say 'no, we love it out there'."
The City of Minneota has had several applicants for Ramirez's position as City Clerk. "There is a lot of interest," she said. "The final decision is up to the City Council and I know they will make the best decision to benefit the community."
The position is expected to be filled at the City Council's September meeting. Teigland will train whomever the new hire will be.