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Council extends interim city manager contract 6 months, agrees 90‑day local search before hiring firm
Summary
After a split vote failed on a one‑year extension, the council approved a six‑month extension (with month‑to‑month thereafter) for interim City Manager Andrew Butterfield, and voted to run a 90‑day local recruitment for a permanent city manager before engaging national search firms; council also set a top advertised salary of up to $160,000.
Port Richey City Council debated how to proceed with the interim city manager contract and a permanent recruitment on Oct. 14. An initial motion to extend Interim City Manager Andrew Butterfield’s contract for one year failed in a roll‑call vote. Council then approved an amended motion to extend Butterfield’s contract for six months, with the option to continue month‑to‑month afterwards. The six‑month extension passed by unanimous council vote.
Council also voted to conduct a local recruitment window first: the council directed staff to advertise for permanent city manager candidates and to evaluate responses for 90 days before deciding whether to hire a national search firm. Councilmembers said they wanted to balance due diligence and cost—several firms quoted roughly $30,000 for a national search—and to give local applicants a chance. The council additionally set an upper advertised salary of up to $160,000 for the permanent position; members said the final offer would be negotiable during hiring.
Interim manager Butterfield said he was prepared to continue serving while the city recruits, and several councilmembers praised his work to date. Council members also discussed the timeline, noting that national searches can take months and that an extended overlap or transition period would be needed if a permanent hire comes from outside the region.
The council directed staff to prepare an RFP/RFQ for an in‑house attorney search as well as a recruitment plan for the city manager position and to report back at the next meeting.
