Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Attorney Hiring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Personnel committee raises city-attorney salary cap to $150,000 after limited qualified applicants
Summary
The Personnel Committee voted to raise the posted salary cap for the City Attorney position to $150,000 and asked staff to continue candidate outreach; members cited a small applicant pool and limited municipal experience among applicants.
The Franklin Personnel Committee voted to increase the posted salary cap for the City Attorney vacancy to $150,000 and to continue recruitment efforts after staff reported a limited and unevenly qualified applicant pool.
The mayor briefed the committee on the hiring status and the need for "a qualified candidate to obviously move forward for the full time city attorney. It would be our only city attorney," and said he had counted eight applicants so far. Committee members asked where the job had been posted; staff said it was on the League of Wisconsin Municipalities website, the city website and Indeed; staff had not posted to the State Bar advertising board because of cost.
Kelly (staff) said she had spoken to a former potential applicant who indicated the market might support a higher top salary: "he would think it would have been closer to a 150." Committee members discussed revising the job description to better match the municipality's actual duties and outsourcing of litigation work while recruiting for an administrative-focused city attorney.
Committee members asked about applicants' backgrounds; staff reported that many candidates had real-estate or district-attorney experience and that only one applicant had municipal experience on paper. Several members said they hoped a higher cap would attract assistant city attorneys from nearby Milwaukee who have municipal experience. After discussion, a committee member moved to increase the salary range cap to $150,000; the motion passed on a committee voice vote.
The committee also asked staff to continue outreach and vet applications before calling candidates for interviews. Staff said some of the eight applications did not meet posted minimum qualifications and that the committee should still review applicants who hold a law degree and state admission to practice.
Speakers included the mayor (updating on applicant numbers and recruitment), Dana (staff reporting on advertising and applications), Kelly (staff comment on market expectations), Anna (staff outreach efforts), and several committee members who pressed for outreach and a higher cap. The committee recorded the motion as passed; staff will post the revised salary range and continue recruitment work.
