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CC Work Session
<br />Meeting Date: 02/23/2016
<br />2. 1.
<br />Information
<br />Title:
<br />Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Interview with the City Council
<br />Purpose/Background:
<br />The purpose of this work -session is for the City Council to conduct an interview for the City of Ramsey's Fire
<br />Chief /Emergency Management Director position.
<br />As the City Council will recall, the City's current Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director (EMD), Dean
<br />Kapler, submitted a letter of retirement indicating that his last day with the City would be on or near March 1, 2016.
<br />The City Council, via a consensus, directed staff to conduct an open competitive recruitment that would include
<br />both internal and external candidates in one collective recruitment.
<br />As a result of the City Council's direction to staff, the following occurred:
<br />1) Advertising: staff advertised the Fire ChiefEMD opening with the following sources: City website, City
<br />Facebook pages, Anoka County Union and Anoka County Shopper, Star and Tribune with Diversity Outreach,
<br />QCTV Cable TV, League of Minnesota Cities, Metro HR Managers, Minnesota Works.net, International
<br />Association of Fire Chiefs, Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, Minnesota State Fire Department's
<br />Association, and internally;
<br />2) Leadership Surveys: a Fire Department survey was conducted amongst the Paid -on-call Firefighters as well as
<br />the Ramsey and Nowthen City Councils, seeking feedback regarding the future leadership of the Fire Department;
<br />3) Applications: staff received 17 completed applications, of which 7 applicants met the minimum requirements of
<br />the position;
<br />4) Interviews: all seven applicants were interviewed by the first interview panel which consisted of the following
<br />individuals: Police Chief, Fire Chief/EMD, Assistant City Administrator/Economic Development Manager, Human
<br />Resources Manager, City of Nowthen Chief Administrative Officer, one Paid -on-call Firefighter, and the Elk River
<br />Fire Chief. Three candidates were recommended to advance on to the second interview panel which consisted of the
<br />following individuals: City Administrator, Police Chief, Fire Chief/EMD, Finance Director, Community
<br />Development Director, Public Works Superintendent, Human Resources Manager, Fire Marshal, City of Nowthen
<br />Chief Administrative Officer, one Paid -on-call Firefighter and the Elk River Fire Chief. Both panels unanimously
<br />placed Mr. Matt Kohner as their top candidate stating that, in both cases, Mr. Kohner, without a doubt, clearly
<br />excelled as the best overall candidate to be considered as the next Ramsey Fire Chief/EMD;
<br />5) Employment Testing: staff completed the necessary backgrounds checks, reference checks, and leadership
<br />assessment.
<br />Based on the findings of all five of these items, staff recommends considering Mr. Matt Kohner this evening for the
<br />position of Fire Chief/EMD with the City of Ramsey. Tonight's interview panel will be made up of the City
<br />Council, City Administrator, Police Chief, Human Resources Manager, Elk River Fire Chief John Cunningham, and
<br />two members of the Nowthen City Council, specifically Mayor Jeff Pilon and Councilmember Paul Reighard.
<br />If the consensus of the City Council is to appoint Mr. Matt Kohner as the City's next Fire Chief/EMD, a case will
<br />be brought forward to the City Council at the March 8, 2016, City Council meeting including an anticipated start
<br />date of Monday, April 11, 2016. If a consensus of the Council is not achieved, it is recommended that the City
<br />re -advertise the position and seek other potential candidates.
<br />Lastly, prepared interview questions will be distributed to the City Council at the work -session.
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