The Holbrook City Council held a work session followed by a special meeting to adopt the city manager profile and qualities as they begin their search for a permanent city manager.
“Susan Thorpe had offered to be the liaison. She’ll get all the paperwork and help us to start identifying potential candidates for the interview process,” explained Mayor Kathleen Smith at the beginning of the meeting.
Thorpe is a senior advisor for the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA) and International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recommended by the Arizona League of Cities and Towns for assistance during the hiring process.
Mayor Smith stated that she sent all the qualities and descriptions the council had put together in the previous work session to Thorpe, to which Thorpe replied that the list of requirements was still a lot of information despite being cut down. She also stated that if the city is looking for a top-quality candidate, they may want to consider increasing their annual salary range closer to $150,000, according to Mayor Smith.
Smith added that she looked for examples of job postings on the hiring site Indeed.com to see how they were written. “Basically, they just had a summary, job description and job requirements. So, it’s a lot shorter,” referring to it being a condensed version of the actual job profile. She then typed up some examples for council to look over. The council then went over the posting to check for errors and made sure it met the council’s needs.
After the work session, the council held the special meeting and adopted the city manager profile and qualities. The special meeting was tabled previously at the behest of Councilmember Tim Dixon so he could attend, but he did not respond to contact from the mayor or staff and was not in attendance at the meeting.
The city manager job posting includes the salary range of $122,583-$171,734, plus benefits and retirement. Experience includes a four-year degree in a relevant field of study, at least five years of experience in local government and residency during their tenure. Also in the listing it states that the city is seeking someone that is “a visionary and energetic city manager to join a community that cherishes its past while embracing a future filled with opportunities for growth, collaboration, and success.”
The posting includes an extensive list of qualities and skills deemed important by the council, including being approachable, create partnerships with other organizations, have an appreciation of the cultural diversity and strong analytical and problem-solving skills to name a few. The profile also includes the education and work experience requirements, as well as the tasks to be completed by the selected candidate.
Interested applicants should apply online at governmentjobs.com by March 11. Resume, cover letter and contact information for five work-related references must be included. For more information, contact the Holbrook City Clerk Lisa Hunt at Lhunt@holbrookaz.gov or 928-524-6225.
