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City manager search continues

April 12, 2019

With a work session earlier in the week, Webster City officials are moving forward in the search for a new city manager.

Officials met with Pat Callahan, consultant with Callahan Municipal Consultants LLC, of Anamosa, to discuss the process and some of the guidelines for the position.

“They are helping us with the recruitment search process. He reviewed at the meeting the wage and benefit package that will be advertised,” said Kent Harfst, assistant city manager.

The goal is to have four to five candidates picked out and hold interviews in June, Harfst said. If all goes well, the manager could be chosen in July.

“Depending on how everything goes it could be the third or fourth week in June we would be interviewing that candidate,” he said.

The person might start in August or September, “with the understanding if he or she has a family, if there are children in school, to be considerate of that,” Harfst said.

The city will advertise a salary range of $115,000 to $125,000 a year, depending on educational background and experience, he said. There would also be the same benefit package as all city employees.

Callahan will be meeting in the next few weeks with the mayor, city council members, and city staff about specific qualities being sought in the ideal candidate.

“Obviously we want someone with experience in city management as well as public utilities,” Harfst said.

The process will take some time, but Harfst said he has great faith in Callahan, whom he has known for several years.

Callahan is well-known, and has a network throughout the midwestern states to connect with people who would be willing to make a move, Harfst added. He also works methodically to make sure it’s a good fit for both the candidate and the community.

Callahan was hired in March to resume the search, after efforts were unsuccessful last year. Former City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez resigned last summer to take a similar position in California.

 

View this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.

Last modified: April 12, 2019

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