Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Manager Recruitment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pasco council reviews city manager job profile, narrows salary floor and asks for 'action‑oriented' candidate
Summary
At a April 28 workshop the Pasco City Council reviewed a draft city manager position profile prepared by recruitment firm GMP Consultants, asked staff to add language emphasizing an “action‑oriented” manager, and signaled preference to lower the advertised salary floor to $230,000 while retaining the top of the advertised range.
The Pasco City Council reviewed and suggested edits to a draft city manager position profile on April 28, directing staff to incorporate language stressing an “action‑oriented” leader and to publish a salary range that starts at $230,000. Greg Rothman of GMP Consultants presented the draft and summarized council and staff interviews used to prepare the profile.
Council members pressed for qualifications and expectations up front. Councilmember Harpster urged that the profile include the phrase “action‑oriented,” and Rothman said he would add that language: “I'll make sure that gets incorporated.” Council members also discussed residency, educational minimums and experience: the council asked staff to show a preference for a master's degree and to raise the minimum experience level discussed to about 10 years, with at least six years in senior management.
Rothman recommended a salary band that reflected regional market conditions and proposed $250,000–$295,000 with a likely hire in the $260,000–$280,000 range. After discussion the council agreed to move the bottom end of the advertised salary range to $230,000 while leaving the upper end unchanged: “we'll move the bottom end of the salary range to 230,000 and end up to $2.95 will stay put,” Rothman said. Councilmembers flagged relocation incentives as an available tool if they wish to encourage residency in or near Pasco rather than make residency a formal requirement; staff noted a one‑time moving allowance is commonly used but the council would seek legal advice before requiring residency by rule.
Council members directed GMP and staff to edit the draft to (1) add “action‑oriented” language to the leadership summary; (2) indicate a preference for a master’s degree while preserving flexibility for equivalent experience; (3) increase the minimum experience expectations in the draft; and (4) set the advertised salary floor to $230,000. No formal vote was taken at the workshop; staff will prepare a final profile, begin recruitment, and return with process materials and a schedule.
The workshop contained substantial discussion about how the city will evaluate candidates on community engagement and expected tenure. Council members repeatedly said they want a candidate who will stay five to seven years and be “ingrained in the organization and the community,” and asked staff to incorporate language that signals a preference for longevity.
Staff and the recruitment firm indicated the recruitment will open promptly once the council's edits are incorporated and that council and staff interviews will follow. Because this was a workshop, council gave direction rather than taking formal action.
