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Board outlines steps to hire new county manager, agrees to seek national recruitment firms
Summary
The Ouray County Board of County Commissioners agreed on a multi‑step recruitment framework for the county manager job, asked staff to collect quotes from executive search firms, and set a target timeframe for selection steps and consultant input.
The Ouray County Board of County Commissioners spent its final April 9 work session discussing the process, timeline and legal considerations for hiring a new county manager. County Attorney Leo Caselli and interim county staff advised the board on confidentiality rules, finalist disclosure, and practical steps for a transparent search.
Why it matters: The county manager will lead county administration and emergency operations. Commissioners said they want a thorough, defensible process that draws a wide applicant pool while allowing public input on finalists.
Framework and immediate steps Commissioners agreed on a multi‑step framework: (1) solicit informal quotes from executive search firms; (2) meet a selected firm in a public work session to refine the recruitment plan and job materials; (3) have the BOCC perform an initial screening of applicants in executive session (to protect confidential applicant information); (4) interview selected candidates (initial interviews typically in executive session); (5) hold public meet‑and‑greet events with finalists to gather community input; (6) optionally reconvene in executive session if special accommodations or sensitive matters arise; and (7) hold an open public meeting to select the preferred candidate and authorize staff to negotiate a contract.
Legal and process notes County Attorney Caselli cautioned that applications from people who are not finalists are generally treated as confidential under state law and that naming finalists requires disclosure of application materials once finalists are selected; in recent court decisions the appearance of decisions made entirely behind closed doors has created legal exposure for some public bodies. He recommended the board plan for a public‑facing component (panel interviews or community meet‑and‑greets) for finalists to increase transparency.
Search firm and timeline Commissioners instructed staff to collect informal bids or quotes from recommended executive‑search firms (proposed firms included Prothman, KRW, Columbia/others and Peckham & McKinney), to get sample solicitation materials and sample timelines from each consultant, and to ask firms to show recent, similar searches and distribution strategies for outreach. The board set a short bidding window (roughly two to three weeks) and tentatively targeted an early‑May meeting to review proposals and pick a firm; commissioners said the overall recruitment schedule should aim for a 3–6 month process, with staff noting that onboarding could realistically target a late‑year or January start for a selected finalist.
Residency, relocation and contract matters Commissioners discussed whether to require the manager to live in the county and generally favored a provision that the manager live or relocate to the county within a reasonable timeframe (the board suggested making residency or a short response time to the emergency operations center a contract requirement). Commissioners also discussed relocation assistance (examples discussed included payments in the range of several thousand dollars) and agreed to let staff and legal negotiate relocation and contract details with a selected finalist.
Public engagement and selection format Board members said they favor community meet‑and‑greet sessions for finalists, and they asked staff to ask search firms how they incorporate public feedback. The board also asked for sample job descriptions from other mountain counties (several members cited Lake County, Clear Creek, Montrose and municipal examples) and said the final position description should emphasize leadership, emergency management readiness and a demonstrated commitment to live in and participate in the county.
Next steps Staff will re‑send a list of recommended search firms to the commissioners, collect quotes within two to three weeks, and place a firm‑selection item on a May meeting agenda (the board suggested May 6 or May 7 as potential dates). Commissioners agreed to review consultant proposals at a public meeting and to keep recruitment work moving to avoid losing candidates.
