Minutes - Council Work Session - 02/15/2022 - Special

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interested on how many applicants they have or if an applicant would have applied for four positions before. He recognized that there is a different fit for every city, but he would not feel comfortable interviewing a group of people who have interviewed for a different position and lost the position in different cities and having that be the only selection available. Mayor Kuzma commented that he thought consideration should be taken for recruitments that are needed right now that Administrative Services Director Lasher has to take care of. The City Administrator position is the most important one and is something that needs careful care in the approach. He supported outsourcing as the best bet regardless of the talent pool that could be found, which could be similar to what could be found if it was done internally. A firm may give opportunity to recruit outside as well. He stated between the two, he recommended the Mercer Group. Councilmember Specht asked if the Council would have an interest in hiring an Interim position who would work with Deputy City Administrator Hagen to cover duties if a candidate couldn’t be found. Administrative Services Director Lasher replied she was wondering if it would be helpful to arrange, at the next Council Work Session, interviews with the two firms to ask questions of them directly. Councilmember Howell replied from her perspective it pushes out everything another week, so if time is an issue. She asked wouldn’t it make sense to start working on what the Council wants tonight. She stated she thought Administrative Services Director Lasher did a nice job last time, and if that was taken along with the calendar provided by the firms and adjusting accordingly for what the Council needs, that the Council could save tax payer money and come up with the credentials that are wanted for candidates for this position. Mayor Kuzma replied that making a decision tonight whether doing it internally or outsourcing could be done. He stated if they are outsourcing, the Council could look at the job description before it is sent out to the firm and a meeting takes place, that would be adequate. Councilmember Riley commented that with this being the number one position in the City, the importance of it deserves the outside source that has expertise. He noted that the process of hiring the Deputy City Administrator was good. He continued that in looking at the eight positions that need to be filled at the same time, the workload that is being taken care of internally is maxed out. He stated he would be comfortable going with one of the two firms but would like to know more about them through a quick interview. Councilmember Woestehoff asked if the two only do this level of executive, or if they do deputy or other public sector positions. He stated the recruiters that he knows have a broad pool to work with so they are not always picking from the same pool, as Councilmember Heineman pointed out. Administrative Services Director Lasher replied that is a great question. The websites for the two firms show past and current recruitments, which is a lengthy list and includes several City positions at different levels. City Council Special Work Session / February 15, 2022 Page 4 of 31