Portage la Prairie's Director of Finance, Amanda Watson, is no longer a city employee as of Oct. 31, the city announced in a release.

A city official says Watson's departure was due to personal matters.

Manager of Finance Jennifer Sandney will handle the Director's duties in the interim, City manager Jean-Marc Nadeau says, and a review of the job description and posting is underway in the recruitment process for a replacement.

"We are in the midst of our budgets and getting closer to Christmas," Nadeau says. "Our HR department is looking around to see if there will be an interest at this time. But we suspect we will likely have to wait until January to post (the position), so we get some good candidates."