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Willmar council rejects Baker Tilly recruiter; asks staff to design alternative hiring plan
Summary
After debate over cost, local hiring and process transparency, the council voted 3–5 to reject a motion to retain Baker Tilly as an outside police chief recruiter; council asked administration and HR to return with a proposal (advertising, brochure and staffing plan) within about two weeks.
Willmar City Council on Nov. 4 considered eight proposals for police chief recruitment and heard a recommendation from the Police Commission to retain Baker Tilly. After more than an hour of discussion—during which residents and the retired police chief Jim Felt urged a local search and some council members argued for an external recruiter to ensure a comprehensive, unbiased process—Councilmember Justin moved to follow the Police Commission recommendation and retain Baker Tilly. The motion failed on a roll‑call vote, 3 ayes and 5 no.
Supporters of Baker Tilly and using a recruiter argued the firm brings expertise, staffing capacity and assessment tools (pre‑questionnaires, personality assessments and vetted background checks) and can accelerate the process. Opponents said the city has qualified internal candidates, that outside recruiting can cost more and that staff capacity to manage an internal process needs review.
Retired Chief Jim Felt urged the council to "reject the executive recruitment firm bids" and to focus on local candidates and keep Wilmar PD staffing levels intact. The interim police chief said extra time may be acceptable but noted the benefits of an open and transparent process. The police commission’s recommendation favored Baker Tilly; staff outlined that some firms include additional recruitment and background‑check costs and that in‑house recruitment could still require outside services for interviews or certain checks.
The motion to retain Baker Tilly was seconded but failed on a roll call (yes votes for retaining Baker Tilly were: Oske, Nelson and Osmus; no votes were O'Brien, Davis, Goldis, Hagerly and Butterfield). After the vote, council directed city administration, HR and legal to regroup with the Police Commission and return with a proposal for how the city will proceed—whether an internally managed search with some outsourced elements or a reworked external solicitation. Staff said they would draft a brochure and web‑based community survey and return to council with recommended next steps, aiming to report back within roughly two weeks.
