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Placerville council opts for city-led open recruitment with staff support to replace retiring city manager
Summary
Council chose an open recruitment managed by city staff (option 2) to fill the city-manager vacancy after the incumbent's announced retirement; staff estimated advertising costs at $5,000–$7,000 while outside recruiter costs were estimated at $20,000–$30,000 or more.
The Placerville City Council on Jan. 28 instructed staff to pursue an open recruitment for the city manager position using internal staff support and the outgoing city manager rather than hiring an outside executive search firm.
The outgoing city manager presented three options: (1) a full external recruitment using a private search firm (estimated cost $20,000–$30,000 or more and a six- to seven-month timeline); (2) a full open recruitment managed by city staff and the city manager with advertising-only costs estimated at $5,000–$7,000; and (3) an internal-only recruitment limited to current employees with minimal cost and faster timeline. Several councilmembers and public commenters said they preferred option 2 — an open recruitment run by staff that remains open to internal candidates.
Councilmembers said a staff-led open recruitment would allow the council to cast a reasonably broad net while avoiding the expense of a national search firm and still consider in-house candidates. The council voted on a motion to proceed with option 2; the vote was unanimous.
The city manager noted that if the council chooses internal-only candidates first and the list is unsatisfactory, the city would still need time later to conduct a larger search. Staff advised starting recruitment promptly to preserve flexibility.
Ending: Staff will proceed with the city-led recruitment and return to council with a recruitment timeline and detailed job announcement and budget for advertising.
