DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – Spencer Halvorson has tendered his resignation as Devils Lake City Administrator, with his last day on June 19. At the meeting of the Devils Lake City Commission on June 1, Halvorson was on hand to address his giving notice, which was the main subject of discussion.
Halvorson formally offered his letter of resignation to the Commission in writing on Friday, May 29. pending approval of a contract by the Fargo City Commission on June 8, 2026.
According to his letter, he is on track to take another position with the Lake Agassiz Water Authority (LAWA) and the City of Fargo to serve as LAWA’s inaugural executive director. If all goes as planned, Halvorson’s last day as city administrator will be on Friday, June 19.
“I have deep reverence for the City Commission and City staff members I have worked with for the last four years,” Halvorson said in his letter. “I appreciate the respectful, cordial relationship we have built among each other. I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition for any interim or new candidate that will assume some or all my existing job responsibilities.”
At the June 1 meeting, after the call to order, approval of minutes and discussion of commission portfolios, Mayor Jim Moe then turned to Halvorson. “Well, Spencer, I guess you don’t have anything to talk about, I suppose,” he said wryly, prompting laughter from Halvorson and the other Commission members.
“The letter provides all the necessary details,” Halvorson said to the Commission, pointing out that his new position and contract are still subject to approval by the Fargo City Commission, but he has been informed that they don’t see any issues in moving forward.
“I just have an immense amount of gratitude for everyone here. I appreciate the chance that they took on a 26-year-old kid,” Halvorson said, adding that he would always look back with a big smile and appreciation for the last four years.
Moe thanked Halvorson for a job well done over the past four years and wished him luck in his new job in the Fargo area. “I’ve had an excellent rapport with you,” Moe said. “And I appreciate your professionalism and all the ways you’re handling city business. You definitely did a great job and I think the city’s in great shape at this point. Appreciate what you’ve done and we will definitely miss you.”
After the meeting, Halvorson talked of how he was looking forward to the new challenge with his family in Fargo. “It was a good healthy location … for us to live given the location of both of our families, and this is a really great opportunity that I was encouraged to look at it,” he said.
During the meeting, Moe discussed how to proceed in Halvorson’s absence, having conferred earlier with him on possible options. Both Moe and Halvorson have had conversations with City Assessor Rob Johnson on him filling in as an interim auditor in addition to his other duties.
“We do have budgets coming up,” Moe said, adding that there will be critical timelines from now until October. “I’d sure hate to have some new person come in and try and handle a budget that’s never been here before.”
Halvorson said that the Commission has the full authority to name someone in an interim position until a permanent replacement is determined. “That gives me two weeks to work with somebody and show them how the office is run and kind of tee up the budget process.”
Commissioner Jason Pierce asked Johnson if he would be able to do the job in addition to his other duties and if he expected a bump in pay. Johnson responded that there would be an expectation of added compensation, and that the staff would help to smooth over the transition. “We have people in that department already that are good and know their jobs and can help,” Johnson said. “So, it’s not like I’m stepping in to do all the work. There are some things I would need to learn, obviously, that I don’t know because I don’t deal with those things on a day-to-day basis. I feel that the capacity I have would allow for that in the short term.”
Johnson added that he’s looking at assessing 260 properties this year, and while he described it as “wall-to-wall work,” he feels capable of his ability to handle the added duties on a short-term basis. “But again, on an interim basis,” he said. “I think long term is going to have to be bigger discussions.”
Halvorson observed that much of the interim position would be a supervisory role. “Most of the work is done by the team up front,” he said, adding that his duties as an auditor doesn’t cover 100% of what he does. “It’s a sliver, a very important sliver. … If you just appoint an interim auditor, the town will run itself.”
Pierce said that what he liked about having Halvorson in his position was his technical knowledge of rules of order and observance of decorum. However, Moe observed that City Attorney Jason Sayler would also be able to provide that kind of knowledge.
Devils Lake Police Chief Jason Toso endorsed the choice of Johnson filling in as interim auditor, having known him for years and described him as very intelligent and even-tempered.
While Pierce expressed concern at possibly overwhelming Johnson with the added responsibilities, he was ready to accept the suggestion provided that Johnson kept them apprised of his status and alert them if there were any problems.
Halvorson suggested moving forward by his working with Johnson to review his added responsibilities in the time remaining before Halvorson’s last day on June 19. Then on the Commission’s next meeting on June 15, Johnson could be formally appointed as the interim auditor. “Then we can hit the ground running … starting tomorrow to try and lay the foundation so that come June 22, things are as smooth as they otherwise could be,” Halvorson said.
Pierce made the motion to move forward with the preparation for Johnson becoming interim auditor/assessor, which was seconded by Commissioner Lisa Uhlenkamp. The motion was unanimously approved.
After the meeting, Halvorson expressed confidence in Johnson’s abilities to handle the new position. “Rob is a jack-of-all-trades,” he said. “And he has skills that go beyond just assessing. We’ve used those for a variety for using some of them with the finance department and some human resources things as well. So, he has a lot of … working knowledge of the inner workings of City Hall here.”
Johnson cited his past experiences at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center, where he began as a correctional officer in 2002, and left in 2022, having served as its executive director.
“I’m confident that I can pick it up and learn it,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of historically how my career trajectory has been; I stepped in as the assessor, I didn’t know anything, and so I stepped into that, didn’t really have anyone around to help me, and I’m just good at learning and figuring things out like that.”
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