Minutes - Council Work Session - 06/22/2021

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City Administrator Ulrich stated that he agrees that it is probably not a good idea to advertise something and then change direction at a later date. He stated that the City has done that in some positions when the candidates did not meet the full qualifications and therefore a downgraded position was offered. He confirmed that the position has been advertised. He noted that the posting could be changed but it could cause confusion. He believed that there are good opportunities to hire someone that could fill the position but recognized that there could be some challenges. Councilmember Specht commented that he thought the Council had decided that the pay rate would be the same but that the advertising would be just for the Community Development Director at this time and make the decision on the Deputy City Administrator at a later time. Councilmember Heineman commented that he recalled it in that manner as well. Councilmember Howell commented that she sent an email to City Administrator Ulrich related to the position. She asked if the first round of interviews would provide a value of one vote to each person on the panel as to whom would move onto the second round. City Administrator Ulrich stated that it would be a panel consensus of the candidates that would provide the Council with some feedback to make its decision. He noted that the different members involved would provide different perspectives that would help the Council to make its decision. Councilmember Riley stated that there was discussion on breaking the position into two jobs, but the final decision was to support the posting as presented at the meeting. He stated that three to six candidates are chosen and therefore he did not believe that voting points were needed for the panel interviews. Councilmember Howell commented that she did not have much clarification on the first interview round as to whether it would be consensus or whether the decision was more weighted towards the opinion of the City Administrator and/or members of the Council. Mayor Kuzma commented that the City Administrator and staff work with the position on a daily basis and therefore would provide a good perspective. He believed that the Councilmembers involved would be a part of the process, but he would rely on the opinions of staff as well. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that in the process, if the interview has a quorum of Council, the discussion would become public record. He stated that it seems that anonymity is important for the candidates in the early stages so that it is not public record that someone applied for the position. He stated that he would not have a problem with two or three members of the Council participating in the early stages but would caution against having too many members involved where the anonymity of the candidates would not be protected. Councilmember Howell stated that she would like it made possible for any Councilmember interested to read through the applications and submit a recommendation for an interview. She stated that she would also like three Councilmembers part of the first round of interviews with the City Administrator and department heads involved in an advisory function. She stated that she City Council Work Session / June 22, 2021 Page 4 of 10