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Supervisors expand job outreach, set salary range and consider recruiters to fill county engineer vacancy
Summary
Board approved expanded posting and a salary range for the county engineer recruitment, agreed to post on multiple professional job boards for 30 days, will boost Indeed listing, and will review recruiting firms and a consultant to cover projects temporarily.
Pottawatomie County supervisors moved to broaden recruitment efforts for a vacant county engineer post, approved a proposed salary range and directed staff to pursue multiple posting venues and recruitment options.
Mary Eldage, assistant human resources, summarized placement and paid-promotion options for the county engineer vacancy and recommended several free and paid job boards. Supervisors authorized postings on the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers, job boards at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Creighton, Iowa State and the University of Iowa, the National Association of County Engineers, the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC), the Iowa County Engineers Association Services Bureau and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce for 30 days. The board also agreed to try Indeed and to “boost” the Indeed posting at a $36-per-day standard rate initially and to reassess whether to increase to a premium level if responses were inadequate.
Supervisors discussed using recruiting firms and comparing prices. Brad and other supervisors reported researching recruiters; one vendor—identified by a supervisor—was viewed as expensive and based fees on a portion of salary. Board members directed staff to compare recruiting-firm proposals and bring options back next week.
The board set a proposed salary range to include $1.58 to $1.80 (notation in transcript likely referencing thousands per month or year; the record states the numbers as presented) and said postings should indicate salary “depending on experience.” The transcript records supervisors using the shorthand figures while saying salaries are negotiable.
Supervisors discussed short-term coverage. Mitch reported contacting Osman Consulting Services and arranged a potential presentation by Paul Osman, who has provided county engineering services elsewhere, for an upcoming meeting; supervisors discussed hiring a consultant for project-specific support, including the Underwood project, until a permanent engineer is hired. Board members emphasized keeping the engineer vacancy on agendas weekly to track progress. A member of the public later criticized the pace of hiring and the interim-engineer arrangement during public comment.
The board voted by roll call to approve the posting plan and recruitment steps. The transcript does not include a complete list of applicants or final recruiter contracts; supervisors asked staff to return with recruiter comparisons and details about posting content.
