Council moves forward with contracting consulting firm for city administrator search
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Although the city of Marshalltown has received 13 applications for its vacant city administrator position thus far, a majority of the council voted to widen the net and contract with the consulting firm GovHR to seek out additional candidates during Monday night's meeting.
City Human Resources Director Jill Petermeier came before the council and explained where the process is at, with the 13 resumes and three requests for proposal (RFPs) received to this point. Councilor Gabe Isom was the first to speak up and said while he was comfortable moving forward with either plan, he would like to hear how others felt before charting out a definitive course of action.
Fellow Councilor Barry Kell reiterated how crucial it would be to make the right hire to replace Jessica Kinser, who departed in May after about 6 ½ years on the job.
"We know the importance of this role and we know the importance of getting it right and having experts walk beside us throughout this process," Kell said. "This is a big decision that impacts the city for years to come, and that's without really knowing who that individual is. Not that hiring a consultant makes that foolproof. I think it just adds another layer of scrutiny and expertise that, frankly, I don't think the seven of us have."
Kell added that he would "lean toward" utilizing GovHR because the city has previously worked with the firm on a wage study, and he felt the company is the most equipped to handle the process efficiently and correctly.
Councilor Gary Thompson took a different stance, contending that the city should work with the candidates who sought out the job on their own, especially after seeing three or four that he would like to interview.
"I think there are some drawbacks to working with headhunters. I question the people they will find, what their agenda really is, because if they really wanted to come to Marshalltown, they would've found the opening and applied like the other 13 people," he said. "So I take an opposite position. I think we've got candidates that want to live and want to work in Marshalltown. Let's talk to them."
In response to a question from Councilor Mike Ladehoff, Petermeier said the headhunting firms would make cold calls to individuals who are currently employed and not actively seeking a new job, and they would attempt to "sell" the community and the position to them.
"They do get a different set of applicants that a headhunter can bring in," she said.
During the public comment period, Linda Clark recalled a time when the mayor and council ran city government, and she expressed skepticism about the need for a city administrator at all.
"Now we have a city attorney that doesn't even live in the city. We have a city administrator that's on an interim thing. We have talked about (consulting) headhunters to call and do cold calling to get people to come to Marshalltown, and yet we only are a population of 27,000 and we have very little income in this town anymore," she said. "And the council doesn't seem to be remembering that. I remember when we had talented mayors that ran this city along with the council, and we elected them all. And that was the way I liked it, but I am told I am in the past. Well, I'm still living here and I'm not moving away."
Isom ultimately made a motion to direct staff to proceed with GovHR, and it passed by a 5-1 margin with Thompson opposing and Dex Walker, who was participating in the meeting by teleconference, unavailable at the time of the vote. According to information provided with the meeting packet, the contract, which will cost the city $24,500, will allow GovHR a 14-week timeline with extra fees of $150 an hour for consultant travel, $500 for a half day and $950 for a full day and accommodations for candidates.
GovHR will "conduct and coordinate most of the process," and the agreement also includes a one-year guarantee or a new search will be conducted for no additional fee. When reached for additional comment by email, Ladehoff stressed that the city wanted to leave no stone unturned in finding the right applicant.
"While there are a couple of the 12 to 13 applicants that may merit an interview and may be in the running, the Council has been consistent that we are looking for a very specific type of applicant," he said. "(Petermeier) told us at the Council meeting Monday night that hiring consultants bring more applicants to the table with the specific skill set that we are looking for. The next City Administrator will earn close to $1 million over the next five years. We can't afford to get it wrong."
Thompson reiterated his previous opposition as he felt there were several qualified candidates who have already applied.
"Half of the 13 applicants met the total qualifications to take the position, and others showed experience that could translate into the position. I was shocked that we didn't at least do phone interviews with four of the applicants. Like I said at the meeting, these are professionals that were actively looking to come to a city the size of Marshalltown, had the experience we were asking for, applied in good faith for the position and were expecting the respect due their experience to be interviewed," Thompson said. "I am not happy at all that the decision was made to go with a headhunting firm."
At press time, none of the other councilors nor Mayor Joel Greer had responded to a request for further comment on the hiring process thus far and why they felt the additional consulting was necessary.