Current situation
At an April 2 special City Council meeting, council members approved a $26,950 contract with Baker Tilly US, LLP, which will serve as the city’s executive search firm for the city manager position, pending legal review.
The city received 11 proposals, which were reviewed by a selection committee that was appointed by council at a Feb. 20 meeting. According to agenda documents, each proposal was reviewed and graded based on submitted experience and references with a scoring criteria based on:
- Services offered: 40%
- Ability to meet requirements: 30%
- Cost: 30%
As the executive search team, Baker Tilly staff will be responsible for all aspects of the city manager search, but the final candidate must be approved by City Council.
According to Baker Tilly’s proposal, the entire process of the search includes:
- Recruitment brochure development and advertising
- Execution of recruitment strategy and identification of quality candidates
- Screening of applications, review of semifinalists and selection of finalists
- Background report checks, reference checks, social media presence and academic verification
- Final interview process
The present
Since former City Manager Jack Harper was fired Feb. 12, Assistant City Manager Zach Goodlander has served as interim city manager while the search progresses.
“I think [the interim has] been a breath of fresh air for the city,” Goodlander said in a phone interview with Community Impact. “We’ve gotten a lot of things moving that have not been [completed] before.”
Since taking over, Goodlander said the city has been able to prioritize needed projects for past and upcoming meetings, including the groundbreaking of Eagle Landing Park and getting the Harris Street reconstruction project ready to go out for bid.
Once Baker Tilly staff begin accepting city manager applications, Goodlander said he plans to apply. However, Communications Coordinator Mariah Gallegos said he will still have to follow the same process as other applicants.
Looking forward
Once legal review is complete, Baker Tilly staff will meet with the mayor and City Council to set timelines and kickoff the project, including discussion about what the city is looking for in its next city manager.
A typical timeline from the initial meeting to extending an employment offer is 100 to 120 days, according to the proposal.
