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Homewood council member urges immediate city manager search; colleagues warn of timing risks
Summary
A council member argued for beginning a search for a city manager now to avoid a prolonged leadership gap, while other council members warned the timing and ongoing investigations could deter qualified candidates. The session also covered candidate criteria, public outreach and interim staffing options.
A council member at a Homewood City public session urged the council to start recruiting a city manager now, saying the greater risk is “going months without someone” in charge of day-to-day operations.
The council member said delaying the search could leave the city short-staffed and hamper implementation and communication with residents, while colleagues countered that hiring during a period of governance change and active investigations could make the post less attractive to experienced candidates.
The debate centered on whether to begin the search before or after a pending referendum and a possible turnover in the city council. The council member cited a claimed poll indicating “25% of the city said they do not want this Council making major long-term decisions for the city,” and argued a mandate from a later council would not eliminate the risk of extended vacancy or service disruptions.
Council discussion also covered what qualifications the city should require. Participants said they prefer a professionally experienced city manager and suggested publishing a clear, flexible list of qualifications rather than rigid certification-only criteria. The council member recommended using ICMA job postings as public examples of typical candidate descriptions.
Speakers clarified local staffing roles: one speaker explained that "JJ" is the mayor’s chief of staff and ‘‘he is not a city administrator’’ in the formal sense used by neighboring municipalities, meaning the city lacks a designated administrator to step into the manager role temporarily.
As a contingency, the council discussed interim staffing options and noted a program of retired managers associated with ICMA who can fill short-term gaps between permanent appointments. No formal vote or motion to start a search was recorded during the session.
Public engagement and outreach were recurring themes. A council member highlighted low turnout for the meeting despite the city population figure mentioned during the session, saying, “we have 29,000 we have eight people here,” and urged more accessible communication about the hiring process and candidate qualifications.
The session concluded with an agreement to continue refining qualifications and outreach plans; no hiring decision or formal vote was taken during the meeting.
