Agenda - Council - 03/27/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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come up through the ranks they would like them to have experience with economic development and some familiarity with different funding sources. The individual should be able to work with federal and state agencies and with the developers so they can manage the growth. The last thing that is wanted is for things to get out of hand so that the city grows but does not end up as happy as they would like. The individual needs to be able to balance that. 2. Ms. Sims stated this would not likely be the situation. Waters Consulting Group tries not to over- saturate. She would be handling this and it would be the only city manager search she would be running. She is at this time running an assistant city manager search for a larger firm in the Mid Atlantic area. If she had a candidate that wanted to be considered for several searches she would look at the individual's background to determine where she thinks the best fit would be. 3. Ms. Sims stated most likely she would be the lead; it would be a lead consultant like herself. She reviewed the support staff located in the Dallas office. She stated Waters Consulting Group has three levels of interviews. Referencing is done when they get to the finalists with a 360 degree review. 4. Ms. Sims stated the candidates are given a questionnaire, which in addition to a short telephone interview will provide the first insight into the candidate's background. In addition to this there is a second round interview which is either by video conference or face to face; it is a more intense interview making certain the individual has the skill sets they are looking for. The candidates participate in an electronic assessment tool with various questions such as how they manage difficult situations, how they handle management issues, and how they work with councils. This tool has been validated in a number of areas, especially for city managers. It is a tool that has been validated for small, medium, and large organizations. It determines strengths and weaknesses and gives feedback as to what type of development or environment the candidate would work best under. Once the candidates have been reduced, the career navigator report is analyzed to make a recommendation on which candidate may work best for this style of community. This is not recommended as the sole tool, but it is another tool that can be used. Similarly, they complete a thorough referencing. Candidates are asked for 12 to 15 references, of which 5 to 7 are checked. The ,references would include people the individual has worked for, people who have worked for the individual, and peers in the industry in order to get a good 360 degree review. Follow up question: Do you also ask for references that likely would not speak very highly of the candidate? Ms. Sims replied with the number of references requested it is difficult for the individual to provide all good references. Confidential references are promised, and weaknesses are followed up on. Waters Consulting Group wants to be sure if there is a weakness that the organization would know about that ahead of time. 5a. Ms. Sims stated Waters Consulting Group would put together a brochure that is fairly detailed and a good marketing tool for the City of Ramsey. They would have direct mailings to city managers and assistant city managers. They also advertise in professional organizations such as ICMA (International City Manager Association) and the PMA (Public Managers Association). They would also focus on Midwest and Twin City organizations. Waters Consulting Group has a good database, but also creates a specialized mailing list for the type of searches they undertake. City Council Work Session / February 6, 2007 Page 11 of 14