Monroe council approves recruitment steps: deputy finance director classification and recruiting contract

Monroe City Council on Feb. 10 authorized staff actions aimed at strengthening executive and finance recruitment.

City Director Ben Wortham asked the council to authorize a pay-range reclassification to permit posting an open position as either finance manager or deputy finance director to broaden the applicant pool for a vacancy that has existed since August. “Historically, recruitment for the finance manager position has not produced a large pool of candidates,” Wortham said, noting the last recruitment yielded about 19 applicants. Council member Gamble moved to authorize staff to prepare an amendment to the city's adopted salary schedule (Ordinance 0282025, Appendix A) to add a deputy finance director pay range; Beaumont seconded. The motion passed 6–0.

Separately, Wortham requested authorization for the mayor or designee to execute a professional services agreement not to exceed $35,000 for executive recruiting services related to the city administrator position if internal recruitment does not yield an adequate slate. The council approved that authorization on a 6–0 vote. Wortham told the council the first review of city administrator candidates is scheduled for March 2 and that the contract authority is a contingency to avoid delays in hiring.

Council members supported the measures as competitive hiring steps: Gamble said expanding the candidate pool was wise and that the budget supports the change. Council member Beaumont emphasized recruiting and continuity of people as essential to the city’s operations. Council members discussed the scale of the city administrator role as context, with one council member noting the city manages roughly a $300 million budget and argued it is important to attract highly qualified candidates.

Staff will prepare the salary schedule amendment and, if needed, proceed with an executive recruiting contract under the authorized amount.