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Abilene commissioners set candidate profile and timeline for city manager search
Summary
The commission worked with a consultant from the League of Kansas Municipalities to set a candidate profile (preferred 5–9 years relevant experience; flexible education with experience allowed in lieu of degrees) and a tentative recruitment timeline with resumes due Feb. 1 and candidate books delivered Feb. 9.
John Deirdoff of the League of Kansas Municipalities met with the Abilene City Commission to develop a candidate profile for the city manager search and to propose a recruitment timeline.
Deirdoff summarized survey responses from the commission and recommended a profile emphasizing finance/budgeting, economic development experience, ability to build consensus with a governing body, organizational development and strategic planning. He said the panel of respondents generally favored candidates with five to nine years of professional experience; some commissioners said they would still accept qualified applicants with less experience.
On education, Deirdoff said the commission should prefer a degree in public administration or a related field but allow relevant local government experience to substitute where appropriate. Commissioners discussed residency expectations and most said they preferred a residency requirement to be negotiated in a future employment contract.
Deirdoff proposed a recruitment calendar: post the job in January; accept resumes through Feb. 1; submit candidate books to the commission on Feb. 9; hold a review meeting Feb. 16; schedule interviews in late February; and aim to select a candidate by early March with an April 1 start possible given notice periods. He said the commission would see all resumes in the candidate book and that staff would circulate a draft job advertisement for final approval before posting.
Commissioners asked about posting sites and recommended standard outlets including ICMA, state league sites, LinkedIn and university programs. The commission did not make a final hiring decision at the meeting; it approved the consultant’s proposed profile and timeline to move the recruitment forward.
