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West Allis administration committee reviews recruitment plan, timeline for city administrator
Summary
The administration committee reviewed a policy-driven recruitment plan for a new city administrator, discussed community and staff feedback options, and agreed to return with proposed presentation requirements and a possible Policy 404 amendment at the next meeting.
The Administration Committee of the City of West Allis discussed and tentatively approved a timeline and multi-step recruitment plan for the city administrator role on Jan. 14, city staff said.
The plan, presented by Richard, identified Policy 404 as the governing policy for hiring department heads and the city administrator and laid out outreach (professional networks, job boards, ICMA), an application deadline of March 2, staged interview panels and optional community or employee surveys. Richard said that, under Policy 404, he would have to recuse himself from the recruitment once the process is approved.
The proposal calls for preliminary screening by the HR director plus at least one outside expert, a first-round interview panel that could include department heads and outside experts, subsequent technical assessments or presentations, a third interview with the administration committee and background checks before an employment agreement is offered. The presentation also recommended asking candidates to submit writing samples or a short presentation with the initial application to limit large numbers of uncommitted applicants.
Alderperson King and other committee members discussed whether to solicit anonymous community feedback and whether staff input should be limited to internal (employee-verifiable) surveys. Committee members agreed internal staff feedback would be useful but expressed concern that an open public survey could produce large amounts of low-quality responses. Several members also said Richard’s institutional knowledge was valuable for drafting assessment materials but noted Policy 404 would bar his direct involvement once the committee approves the process.
Committee members suggested testing a structured homework assignment or presentation requirement for all candidates to compare demonstrated skills consistently. They also discussed whether to hire an external executive search firm; staff estimated retained searches would start at about $20,000 but said staff recruitment through ICMA, state job boards and targeted Wisconsin listings was a viable alternative.
The committee agreed to return at the next meeting with draft presentation requirements and to consider whether to amend Policy 404 to permit limited pre-recusal staff input into the candidate evaluation framework. No formal vote to change Policy 404 was taken; the committee directed staff to bring proposed language and a recommended timeline back to the committee for a future vote.
Looking ahead, the committee left a March 2 application deadline on the table and discussed additional steps including background checks, candidate assessments and negotiated employment agreements.
Committee members said the goal is to balance open recruitment and a manageable applicant pool while preserving the policy requirement that city staff recuse once the process is formally underway.
