Council creates recruitment subcommittee for city manager search, orders meetings be recorded

The Independence City Council voted 7-0 to establish a recruitment subcommittee to lead the process of hiring a new city manager after the incumbent announced an impending departure. The resolution (25-782) authorizes the subcommittee to craft a request for proposals (RFP) for a search firm, define contract deliverables, and plan public engagement during candidate screening.

During discussion, Council member Stewart proposed and successfully added an amendment requiring that open meetings of the subcommittee be recorded and archived online. "Open meetings of the subcommittee will be recorded, archived, and made available for public viewing," Stewart said while offering his amendment. The council adopted the amendment by roll call, 7-0, and then adopted the main resolution as amended, also 7-0.

Council members emphasized the subcommittee's role as the "workhorse" to prepare materials — the RFP, candidate sourcing parameters and opportunities for public engagement — before the full council evaluates candidates and search results. Council member McCandless described the subcommittee's work as preparing the selection process, including the RFP and contract parameters, and emphasized public engagement in the process.

During debate, council members and staff discussed logistics for recording meetings. The city manager and communications staff said the meetings could be recorded as Microsoft Teams sessions using existing conference-room equipment; recordings would be posted to the city's website and YouTube channel. Council members asked that audio quality and camera angles be reasonable and suggested committee members could use local computers or headsets to improve recordings.

Discussion vs. decision: the council set the subcommittee's authority (discussion item) and formally adopted the resolution and the recording amendment (decisions). Meeting recordings and minutes will be used to inform the search process and provide transparency to the public. The council did not make candidate selections during the meeting; the subcommittee will prepare the RFP and other materials for future council action.