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Council weighs using executive search firm to recruit city manager; some members prefer posting locally first
Summary
Council members debated whether to retain an executive search firm or post the city manager vacancy publicly; members who favored a search firm cited reach and guarantees, while others suggested posting first and reserving funds if the firm option is needed.
The council discussed how to recruit a replacement city manager at the Feb. 19 meeting, weighing the merits of hiring an executive search firm versus posting the vacancy publicly and soliciting applicants directly.
Some council members said a specialized search firm brings wider outreach and a pool of passive candidates not reached by public postings. A council speaker with executive-search experience said firms can offer guaranteed placements and active candidate sourcing. One council member noted a local search firm had already contacted staff and offered services, including post-placement support and a guaranteed replacement if needed.
Other members questioned the expense and suggested posting the job publicly first to evaluate candidate quality and only spending funds for a search firm if necessary. Procurement staff reminded the council that any firm contact with council members during the procurement would create an appearance-of-conflict risk and explained the formal procurement process and vendor Q&A controls.
The record shows the council discussed evaluation criteria for any search-firm procurement and asked staff to prepare solicitation guidelines. The transcript does not show a final, definitive vote to hire a firm; rather, members asked staff to draft a solicitation and to provide the council with a proposed scope and cost to consider.
