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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Thursday,May 16, 2013 <br /> Page 12 <br /> consuming process, and criteria used during the last search that may apply to this <br /> search as well, or provide a point from which to start discussions. Ms. Bacon ad- <br /> vised that the City Council could decide to move forward in the near future in hir- <br /> ing a consultant, and could include a process as brief as appointing someone in- <br /> house or as complex as a national search and involving many stakeholders. <br /> At the request of Mayor Roe, Ms. Bacon clarified that a search firm was used in <br /> 2006 for part of the process. Ms. Bacon advised that she helped sort the initial <br /> applications to make sure they met minimum qualifications; and then the consult- <br /> ant performed some role playing and assessment testing, subsequently selecting <br /> their top seven candidates that were provided to the City Council for their approv- <br /> al, and then those seven went through the first round of interviews to select three <br /> finalists for the last round for recommendation to the City Council moving for- <br /> ward. Ms. Bacon advised that of the $10,000 allotted for the search firm in 2006, <br /> approximately $8,000 of that amount was ultimately spent, with staff able to nar- <br /> row that cost down through additional hand-on work throughout the process. <br /> Also at the request of Mayor Roe for her perspective as a Human Resources Di- <br /> rector on how the 2006 process worked, Ms. Bacon noted the value the consult- <br /> ants had provided her in having their considerable long-term expertise as an out- <br /> side resource and to provide her with additional feedback, given her"one person" <br /> department. Ms. Bacon opined that it also was beneficial for all stakeholders to <br /> provide a sense that there was no bias and that the selection process was fair, and <br /> provided the 2006 nation-wide process to become more manageable. <br /> Councilmember Willmus, while having his own ideas, sought comment from in- <br /> dividual Councilmembers on their expectations for timing and search criteria. <br /> Mayor Roe advised that he had not yet formulated his expectations and criteria; <br /> but offered other Councilmembers to express their thoughts or preliminary infor- <br /> mation. Mayor Roe suggested that the City Council may wish to review the 2006 <br /> materials provided by Ms. Bacon as a preliminary source of information, and <br /> come to the May 20, 2013 meeting prepared for subsequent discussions. <br /> Councilmember McGehee proposed a preliminary process for individual Coun- <br /> cilmembers to bring their personal criteria for a permanent City Manager, includ- <br /> ing what qualifications were sought; and to have City Department Heads do the <br /> same thing at the same time. Councilmember McGehee suggested that discussion <br /> occur around the table with all of those parties, not at a formal City Council meet- <br /> ing, to combine those lists and find areas of overlap. Councilmember McGehee <br /> opined that it should be clear very quickly the key attributes wanted and aspira- <br /> tions sought as a team, recognizing that it was truly a team effort of the City <br /> Council and staff. Councilmember McGehee opined that this would be a good <br /> point of discussion to find out where everyone was at, and come up with a list of <br /> criteria for Ms. Bacon and a process to follow. <br />