BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council debated the qualities they want to see in the next city manager and if their hiring timeline is doable. 

Mayor Keith Corbett sat down with Donna Langland, human resources director, and Shari Thornes, city clerk, to get some starting points together, which the council looked over and adjusted a bit in a Tuesday study session.

Timeline

The job and recruitment advertisements will be posted today. First review of resumes and applications is set for March 14. On April 3, the council will select candidates for interviews. Those candidates will be interviewed April 16-17. The council plans to extend an offer to the finalist on April 24. 

“Is this doable?” asked Councilor Mary Kidwiler.

Langland said yes, they had worked backwards from the offer date and figured out what they needed to do to have the new city manager in place in time for current City Manager Jeff Weldon to show him or her the ropes before he leaves June 30. 

“It’s aggressive, but sometimes if you give people too much time to fill out applications, they forget about it,” Langland said.

It’s important for the successful applicant to have time to give notice and move their family, Corbett said.

Langland said composing the job profile was moving along faster than anticipated, and it could be out a week earlier than planned.

Langland said more than 300 people who are in city manager and assistant city manager positions in other states will be sent position information.

“Lots of times people don’t know they’re looking for a job until they get one of these across their desk,” she said.

Langland said they targeted cities around Brookings’ size, including assistant city managers in slightly larger cities and city managers in slightly smaller cities.

The information will also be posted on the city’s website.

Corbett said he’s already had people contact him about the position and the process.

The city has just gone through an international search for a new police chief, receiving 50 applicants. Since that search was successful, Corbett said the city officials have faith in the system run by Human Resources.

“One of the perks is we will still have Jeff here to complete their transition,” Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne said, asking what happens if something goes wrong and the timeline doesn’t work out.

Then the council will get together and address the issue, Corbett said.

“Brookings is an attractive place to be, and we’ve got a good reputation,” Langland said.

“It’s important to get it done,” said Councilor Dan Hansen, with an eye on the upcoming April elections. Four of the seven positions on the council are opening. “I don’t want to get halfway through the process and have all new people,” he added.

Qualifications

The council also discussed the position’s qualifications, duties and responsibilities, which Langland laid out in a five-page bulletin. The points were gleaned from the city’s charter and Weldon’s contract.

Have the duties changed in a decade?, Kidwiler asked Weldon.

“It’s been quite consistent,” Weldon said.

Langland pulled the city manager survey done a couple of years ago and checked with cities that have a population comparable to Brookings. One was Pierre, which has a population of more than 13,000. Pierre’s new city manager started in August and was offered the same pay range that Brookings is offering, $130,000 to $160,000.

Hansen asked if they should offer a car allowance or add a few more dollars to the salary. Rules from the Internal Revenue Service have changed, and that money is taxed as income, because it’s work-related traveling, Weldon said.

Councilor Nick Wendell asked if they can list a master’s degree and prior experience managing a council like Brookings as a minimum qualification or a preferred qualification. 

“You don’t want to limit yourself,” Hansen said, pointing out all candidates will have different combinations of book experience vs. real-life experience. The ones that aren’t qualified can be eliminated by a good process, he added.

Langland said some may be earning their master’s degree and it’s best to consider a combination of education and experience.

Tilton Byrne said she liked listing the master’s degree as a preferred quality because they are working with a short timeline.

“Let’s cast as wide a net as we can,” she said.

“There’s no replacement for real-life experience,” Kidwiler said.

Councilor Patty Bacon agreed the master’s degree should be a preferred qualification.

Hansen asked if the profile should include wording to specify that the process is confidential up to the interviews. Corbett agreed there should be some kind of statement because not every place has a confidential process.

An easy sell

Councilor Ope Niemeyer wanted the candidates to know there are employment opportunities for trailing spouses.

He also wanted the candidates to know that there is housing in the $200,000 to $500,000 range for the person who accepts the position.

“I have a house for sale,” Weldon joked.

Tilton Byrne asked if the school district information was in the profile and Langland said yes.

City Attorney Steve Britzman asked if candidates should show they are leaders in the community, like membership in organizations or participating in community events. 

“It’s important for the city manager to be out and about,” Kidwiler said.

Langland said they can put in five to 10 questions about community involvement.

It’s not only about finding the candidate the council wants but having a candidate who wants to come to Brookings, Bacon said. The profile has information on the community and a website to check out, Langland said.

“Brookings is a pretty easy sell,” Corbett said.

Weldon said the challenges Brookings was facing are what attracted him, instead of Moorhead, Minnesota. Eleven years ago, Brookings had a lot happening with various changes being made and Moorhead was in “maintenance mode,” so that was the difference, he said.

Corbett stressed the process would be transparent and the public would be informed and can ask any questions they want.

Bacon thanked everyone involved in the hiring process, saying six months sounds like a lot, but isn’t.

“I’m excited to see what variety of applicants we will get,” she said.

In its regular meeting, the council approved a liquor license for The Wild Hare, plus several requests to abate property taxes, purchase equipment, and authorize a change order for Bowes Construction.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.