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Sawyer County sets $120,000–$140,000 salary range, approves emotional‑intelligence testing for administrator search
Summary
At an April administrative committee meeting, Sawyer County executives approved revisions to the county administrator job description, adopted a $120,000–$140,000 advertising salary range, and voted to include an optional emotional‑intelligence assessment in the recruitment process.
Members of the Sawyer County administrative committee on April 1 approved updates to the county administrator job description, set a $120,000 to $140,000 salary advertising range for the search and voted to include an emotional‑intelligence assessment in the recruitment process.
The moves came during a presentation by consultants from Public Administration Associates, who walked the committee through a revised recruitment schedule, candidate assessment plan and marketing materials. “We’re recommending a salary range of $120,000 to $140,000 for the position,” said Dave Bridal of Public Administration Associates. The committee voted to advertise the position at that range.
The nut of the discussion was how to attract and retain qualified candidates while maintaining internal equity, committee members said. The consulting team reported 23 survey responses from county board members and the management team identifying top skills for the next administrator: intergovernmental relations, strategic planning and budget development. The consultants recommended a recruitment timeline that would leave the application period open at least 30 days, with the application deadline shown in the packet as April 28 and a written candidate report delivered to the committee on May 2.
Committee members approved a small set of wording changes to the job description to reflect who the administrator coordinates with. The job description will be edited to read that the administrator coordinates with the administration committee, the labor negotiating committee and the human resources coordinator when developing collective‑bargaining strategy.
The committee also approved an optional emotional‑intelligence assessment as part of the candidate evaluation. Consultants said the assessment has been used in recent recruitments in Chippewa and Richland counties and costs $1,900 as an added component; county officials said the assessment has helped past selection committees better understand finalists’ self‑awareness, self‑regulation and social skills. Andy (the current county administrator) — who participated in a similar assessment earlier — told the committee the process “gave me a lot better understanding of myself.” The committee voted to include the emotional‑intelligence testing in this recruitment.
Other elements the committee agreed on include using remote (Zoom) screening interviews for highly qualified candidates, a day‑and‑a‑half on‑site assessment for finalists (including a meet‑and‑greet, department‑head interviews and committee deliberations), and a writing exercise to be completed in advance with a 60‑minute submission window. The consultants recommended conducting the major assessment exercises on May 19–20, with the committee selecting finalists on May 9 and a special or regular county board meeting to act on a recommended finalist in late May or early June. Any appointment would be contingent on a successful background check and other standard pre‑employment steps.
The consultants asked the county to finalize the salary range in the packet before advertising. They outlined marketing channels (including paid listings that can cost up to about $1,000 each), suggested posting the announcement on county social media and partnering with local chambers, and said they already had several potential candidates who'd expressed interest in Sawyer County.
The committee agreed the brochure and announcement should highlight reasons candidates would want to move to Sawyer County and said committee members and county staff would help distribute the announcement once it was posted. The consultants said they would begin placing advertisements the same day the committee gave final direction.
The meeting concluded after the committee approved the revisions, the salary advertising range and the emotional‑intelligence assessment. The committee instructed consultants to proceed with advertisement and candidate screening under the agreed schedule; a written report on applicants is expected May 2 and committee finalist review is planned for May 9.
