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HUMBOLDT — After nearly a decade with the City of Humboldt and more than 30 years in municipal service, city manager Joe Day has announced his retirement, effective Aug. 15.
Day joined the City of Humboldt as director of finance in December 2016 and was appointed city manager in August 2017, the city said in a media release. Prior to that, he spent more than 14 years with the City of Prince Albert and previously worked in North Battleford, building a career in public service that spanned three decades.
"The City of Humboldt has been a wonderful place to live and work for the last nine-plus years, and there has been some hesitation in making this decision,” Day said. “The management team, along with staff at all levels, has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to making this the great community it is. I am, however, looking forward to slowing down somewhat from the pace of the city manager position and plan to remain involved in community governance activities in a consulting role.”
During his tenure as city manager, Day played a key role in advancing initiatives that supported Humboldt’s long-term growth and infrastructure stability, it said in the City of Humboldt's media release. These included strengthening the city’s financial position and establishing consistency in water main, roadway and fleet renewal programs.
Major projects completed under his leadership included the Centennial Park redevelopment, Highway 5 resurfacing, construction of the new wastewater treatment facility and development of the Carl Schenn pond.
Day also guided the City of Humboldt through some of its most challenging periods, including the 2017–18 Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with SaskToday, Day said no single achievement stands out, but one experience will remain with him.
“Not really a highlight, but undoubtedly the one event and experience I will always remember will be the Humboldt Bronco tragedy,” he said. “The key takeaway was how so many people from around the community and around the province all worked together to support each other and the needs of the families and the communities impacted.”
Over the course of his career, Day strengthened municipal budgeting processes, advanced community safety initiatives and fostered regional collaboration, the city said. He also worked closely with land and construction developers to support responsible growth, according to the release.
Day said municipal government itself has evolved significantly since he began his career, largely due to technological change.
“Technology has been the one area of most significant change over the past 30 years,” he said. “Computers, automation, but particularly cell phones. With cell phones now able to do far more than computers could do even 15 years ago, municipal employees are now almost expected to be always ‘connected’.”
Mayor Rob Muench thanked Day for his leadership and steady guidance, noting the city benefited greatly from his experience during both periods of growth and crisis.
The city will begin the search for a new city manager in the coming weeks, with a transition plan in place to support continued stability and success.
