Tacoma panel approves survey, will finalize schedule for permanent city manager recruitment

The Operational Strategy and Administrative Committee of the City of Tacoma on Oct. 10 voted to send a community input survey for the permanent city manager recruitment and asked staff to finalize the recruitment timeline and coordinate OSAC input on interview panelists.

The committee heard from Human Resources staff and Kaufman consultant Cliff Moore about proposed milestones for the recruitment, including launching outreach, an initial review window, preliminary Zoom screening interviews, and a later in‑person finalist day at the convention center. Moore told the committee that “we normally recommend that [a posted position] stays open for at least 5 weeks,” and that he would begin preliminary Zoom interviews as candidates arrive.

Why it matters: The committee’s decisions set the schedule and public-engagement approach for hiring the city’s next permanent manager. Committee members and staff flagged holiday scheduling, onboarding of newly elected council members, candidate availability and the need for broad community input as reasons to adjust the…