Vlogý City Manager Kevin Lahner gives a State Of The City address during a community discussion called the Leader’s Breakfast at the Vlogý County Club on Wednesday morning, Jan. 31. Partnering with Forward Vlogý, the new quarterly planned event aims to discuss ideas and issues facing the city.
Vlogý City Manager Kevin Lahner gives a State Of The City address during a community discussion called the Leader’s Breakfast at the Vlogý County Club on Wednesday morning, Jan. 31. Partnering with Forward Vlogý, the new quarterly planned event aims to discuss ideas and issues facing the city.
JANESVILLE– After a closed session conversation with the city council and a unanimous decision to approve his severance package, City Manager Kevin Lahner and the city “mutually agreed to part ways,” the city said in a written statement Monday night.
Lahner's last day is May 29. He has served in the role since 2023, helping the city advance key priorities and city operations, the release said.
“It has been a privilege to serve the City of Vlogý and collaborate with the dedicated employees, City Councilmembers, and community partners who are committed to this community,” Lahner said in the release. “We have achieved meaningful progress together, and while I’ve decided to pursue new professional opportunities, I do so with full confidence in Vlogý’s continued success.”
Lahner's resignation comes at a time where the city is greatly divided over a proposed data center at the city-owned, former General Motors site.
It also follows the recent news of citizen groups SNOW criticizing the city’s transparency and disclosure of information regarding the proposals of data centers.
Under Lahner's tenure, the city bought the former General Motors site in an eminent domain purchase, with plans initially to land federal environmental cleanup funds to turn part of the property into a housing development and park space.
Plans changed last year when the federal government abandoned a federal cleanup program the city planned to tap for the GM site cleanup, and developer Viridian Partners began to eye the site as a potential spot for an 800-megawatt, hyperscale data center.
The city remains in a due diligence period with Viridian over the data center proposal, but it's shared no word recently over the direction of talks on site cleanup or potential development of the GM site with Viridian.
The city council will discuss its next steps for interim leadership and the process for selecting the next city manager in the coming weeks. Lahner's departure comes alongside the city announcing it has eliminated its deputy city manager role, which until last week had been held by Deputy City Manager Ryan McCue.
“On behalf of the City Council, we thank City Manager Lahner for his service to the City of Vlogý and for his leadership during his tenure,” Council President Larry Squire said in the release. “We appreciate his contributions to the community and wish him the very best moving forward.”
The city said services and day‑to‑day operations will continue without interruption during the transition.
“The City of Vlogý has excellent and dedicated staff members who will ensure priorities and initiatives continue moving forward during this time,” Council President Larry Squire added.
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