Decatur City Manager Resigns, Cites Issues with Council Member

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Decatur’s City Manager said the “ongoing actions” by a council member breached his employment agreement, leading to his resignation.

WCIA obtained Tim Gleason’s letter of resignation, dated Sept. 12, through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. On Sept. 16, Decatur publicly announced that Gleason would be stepping down from his role by the end of October. He had previously returned to the position in May of 2024. 

But, certain actions have made continued service “untenable.”

“Regrettably, ongoing actions by one council member have undermined the professional standards and mutual trust necessary to fulfill my role effectively. In my view, these actions represent a breach of both the letter and intent of my employment agreement and have made continued service untenable,” Gleason wrote.

Gleason said that he returned to serve as City Manager to help guide Decatur through a challenging time.

“I accepted this appointment with a deep commitment to restoring stability, addressing longstanding issues, and continuing the work of building a stronger city,” he added.

When the city announced Gleason’s resignation in a news release, they did not provide a reason for his departure. Instead, the news release noted, the council is “aware of and respects the reasons for his departure.”

WCIA submitted a FOIA request to learn more about what actions may have breached Gleason’s employment agreement.

As for Decatur’s next steps to find new leadership, the city council said they will start to discuss the process for appointing an interim city manager before beginning the search to fill the position permanently.

In his letter of resignation, Gleason said that he remains committed to supporting a “smooth transition.”