Gilroy names ad hoc to guide city administrator search, selects Ralph Anderson firm for recruitment

The Gilroy City Council established a new ad hoc subcommittee to oversee the recruitment for a permanent city administrator and selected Ralph Anderson & Associates to lead the search, staff said.

Leanne (staff presenter) told the council the city received six search-firm proposals and that the interim recruitment subcommittee recommended Ralph Anderson & Associates and Fred Wilson as the project director. The firm’s proposal was a $29,000 flat fee; the staff presentation said typical proposals ranged from $25,000 to $37,100 with an average of about $29,433.

The proposed search timeline is 12–14 weeks from signing to completion of salary and benefit negotiations with the selected candidate. Key steps include developing a position profile, outreach and recruitment, candidate evaluation, council interviews of finalists, background checks, and negotiated employment terms to be approved in open session.

The council voted unanimously to form the recruitment ad hoc to be led by Mayor Bozzo with Councilmember Bracco and Councilmember Fugazi serving on the committee. During discussion councilmembers debated whether to include a salary range on the recruitment brochure; staff and the recruiter plan to gather candidate salary expectations during screening, and the council left the job posting salary language as “depending on qualifications.”

Councilmembers emphasized the importance of both community outreach and competitive compensation to attract qualified candidates. Staff said next steps include finalizing an agreement with the recruiter, scheduling kickoff meetings with the subcommittee and individual meetings between the recruiter and each councilmember to develop the position profile and outreach strategy.