Long story short
Developed by Place 5 council member Glenna Pearce and Place 2 council member Todd Kounse, the potential framework outlines multiple steps that would ensure a smooth hiring and transition process. Pearce said that the finalized framework for hiring department heads would be codified by passing an ordinance or by including it in the employee handbook.
“[City officials] want to establish a uniform process for hiring department heads to include a committee or panel. Our city has experienced several different ways in which department heads have been hired. Creating a uniform process that defines the details will help to ensure the goal of finding quality candidates in a fair, thorough way,” Pearce said.
The potential hiring policy includes:
- Position must be posted for a minimum of 30 days
- Resume screenings conducted by hiring committee
- Mayor-appointed hiring committee to include one council member
- Hiring committee to be an odd number of members to avoid ties
- No city employees on the hiring committee
- Hiring committee must include two fire or police chiefs from Alamo Area Council of Governments or at least one professional in the field
- Background checks, including criminal history statements and driver’s licenses status
- Skills assessment test
- Reference check
- At least one in-person interview
Additionally, Pearce outlined steps to ensure a smooth transition. These include extending an offer to selected candidates with salary benefits and a start date, onboarding and orientation, a 180-day probationary period for performance evaluation, and regular check-ins and feedback sessions.
What else?
During the discussion, the mayor and several council members offered suggestions on how to better hone these policies.
Place 4 council member Wendy Gonzalez suggested that the in-person interview only be reserved for the final step.
“[The proposed steps] say the short list candidates interviewing must be in person, not on the telephone or video conferencing, I tend to agree with that, but for preliminary interviews, I would want some flexibility,” Gonzalez said.
Mayor Chester Drash also questioned placing a stringent requirement for at least two chiefs as well as designating a specific organization due to a lack of flexibility once a new ordinance is passed.
Gonzalez suggested placing a requirement for a local professional association instead of naming a specific one.
Mayor Pro Tem Dale Randol suggested allowing city employees to be on the hiring committee, which would allow the mayor latitude with appointments to the committee.
Randol also said that city officials should move forward with hiring a new fire chief regardless if the ordinance is passed or not.
“Even though the ordinance didn’t pass, it doesn’t mean that the mayor can’t use this outline and hire this way,” Randol said.
Looking ahead
Drash said the hiring process for a new fire chief would move forward even if an ordinance is not passed, but city officials would use the outline as a guide.
“[City officials are] going to move forward [with the hiring process], and we're going to follow this [outline] as closely as we can. It may not be verbatim, but it will happen,” Drash said.
