By Pauline Masson –
Aldermen voted 3 to 2 on May 20 to set the range of starting pay for a new city administrator at $120,000 to $150,000. The city had previously advertised the salary range from $90,000 to $120,000.
Aldermen James Cleeve, Tyler Hoven and Karla Stewart voted for the higher pay. Debbie Kelley and Scott Lesh voted no. Rafael Madrigal was absent.
The city has been without a city administrator since May 2 when interim administrator Harold Selby resigned ahead of the year that he had offered to serve, saying the BOA wanted to go in a different direction.
After months of organizing its own search that attracted 43 applicants where only three met the city’s stated qualifications (one was offered the job but declined) the BOA decided to hire a recruiting firm lead the search.
Strategic Government Resources (SGR), Abilene, Texas, sent a proposal dated Feb.4 to search for a new city administrator at a base cost of $28,000. The BOA approved an agreement with the firm on March 18. The signed contract was not mailed to SGR until March 25, Mr. Cleeve sid.
SGR assigned Kevin Knutson, who resides in Texas, as recruiter to work with Pacific in the search.
Seven weeks later, on May 12 Mr. Knutsen came to Pacific to meet with some city officials and the Chamber of Commerce to gather information to help create a brochure meant to help SGR sell Pacific to candidates. The brochure is the next step in recruiting clients, but first SGR is asking for a profile of Pacific, created by the city.
The May 20 discussion was the latest step in the protracted in-house wrangling that has lengthened the search for a city administrator. The administrative committee, chaired by Mr. Cleeve, has fielded the search.
In at telephone interview, Mr. Cleeve, who appears to be spearheading the discussions with SGR, said the delay in attracting candidates could be attributed at least partly to the lengthy review process when aldermen looked at the resumes of the 43 candidates that applied when the BOA was managing the search. Of the 43 candidates, three were interviewed and the city made an offer to one, but the candidate withdrew.
It took time to review each of the applications, Mr. Cleeve said. It turned out that most applicants did not meet the qualifications the BOA wanted in a city administrator, which was part of the motivation to go to a recruiting company.
The next step before SGR actually begins to solicit applicants is for SGR to create a brochure to sell Pacific. Mr. Cleeve presented a profile of the city, which he had created, for SGR to use in creating the brochure to the full BOA on May 20.
He said the brochure was necessary for the recruiter to introduce Pacific to candidates.
He asked fellow board members to approve changes from the city’s earlier search parameters that, he said, Mr. Knutson wanted the city to make. The changes need to be included in the brochure.
His comments came under the administrative committee report, which brought a later challenge from Ms. Kelley. He said the administrative committee had not met, but Mr. Knutson wanted the changes.
Mr. Knutson had said that the $90,000 to $120,000 salary range would not attract the quality of candidates the city hoped for, Mr. Cleeve said.
Ms Kelley questioned how and why a firm could dictate changes to the parameter for a new administrator that the administrative committee and the BOA had previously decided and advertised as the city’s intentions.
She argued that the city had discussed the city administrator search and determined the salary range and published it before SGR was contracted.
“Now we have a firm coming in and we just change what we agreed to,” she said. “Can we legally do this?”
Attorney Bob Jones said it was not unusual for a city to change what it was offering when it failed to receive the candidates it wanted.
Mr. Lesh asked for the information Mr.Cleeve got from the recruiter. I know the recruiter. I was just asking what information you got from him.?
“He said that was the range. He told me the $160,000. I’m not comfortable going that high. My motion is up to $150,000,” Mr. Cleeve said.
Ms. Stewart noted that the recruiter had also shared the recommended top pay at $160,00 when she met with him.
“He said that was the sweet spot,” Ms Steward said. “$130,000 to $160,000.”
Mr. Cleeve made the motion to increase the salary range to the amount SGR recommended. With the 3-2 vote the increase was approved.
Ms Kelley said she wanted it on the record that she thought it was wrong to discuss and act on the city administrator search at the May 20 meeting because the topic was not included in the published agenda, which lets he public know what is to be discussed and acted on at the BOA meeting.
“Some citizens might have been interested in this,” Ms. Kelley said.
Residents have routinely grumbled about the BOA taking action on issues that were not made public before the meeting.
The reason for a published and posted agenda is to notify the public of what will be discussed and acted on at the meeting. Pacific’s agenda is published and available online – and posted at city hall – the Thursday before the meeting the following Tuesday.
“I’ve been complaining about this for years,” resident and political pundit Henry Hahn said. “The aldermen wait until their portion of the meeting, and bring up things that were not listed on the published agenda and then they take action. I’ve complained and even contacted aldermen and they just ignore it”
Ten people watched the meeting. Although fewer than 100 viewers is frequently posted on the YouTube Pacific BOA meeting page, ten viewers is an uncommonly low number of citizens who witnessed the discussion
The slow process of the city administrator search has baffled citizens. Both the City of St. Clair and City of New Haven recently hired city administrators to start the day after the previous city administrator left the post.
Mr. Cleeve said he is unsure why Pacific has not attracted the caliber of applicant the board and mayor would approve but the search is important. He hopes the professional recruiter and the higher salary range will attract qualified applicants.
“The city definitely needs a city administrator,” he said. “We’re a ship without a rudder. There is a significant need for a leader at city hall.”
