The ins and outs of hiring a city manager

It’s been four months since former City Manager Taylour Tedder left Boulder City to take a job in Delaware. Since his departure, I’ve been serving as acting city manager.

There has been a lot said about the search for a new city manager for Boulder City. Therefore, it’s important to understand why this role is so important to the city and how critical it is to find the right person that can best serve the city council, city employees and residents of our great community.

The city manager is the head of the administrative branch of the city government. City managers are appointed by and directly accountable to the mayor and the city council. Boulder City operates under a council/manager form of government, meaning the elected mayor and city council are responsible for all policy decisions affecting the city. The implementation of city council policies and the general administration of day-to-day city operations is the responsibility of the city manager.

The day-to-day activities of the city manager vary. These include responding to resident concerns, discussing contracts or budgets, working with regional partners on issues that may impact the city and providing leadership and support to department heads and direct reports. It is important that the next city manager has the skills necessary to serve the mayor and city council, employees and residents well and ensure that we maintain the high quality of life expected by our residents in a fiscally responsible manner.

City managers manage city employees with the exception of the city clerk, city attorney and municipal court judge (as they are appointed by the city council). In many ways, the city manager has to be knowledgeable in several disciplines. He or she is responsible for 224 full time employees and 151 part-time employees in seven departments: community development, finance, fire, parks and recreation, police, public works, and utilities. In addition, there are four divisions that report directly to the city manager: human resources, communications, the airport and information technology. The next city manager will also be responsible for implementation of the new five-year strategic plan that will be adopted by the city council later this year.

City managers work with the departments to prepare annual budgets (with significant support from the finance department). The draft annual budget is submitted to the city council for their approval. Following city council approval, the city manager is responsible for implementation of the approved budget. They advise the city council of the financial condition and future needs of the city. The new city manager will oversee a combined FY 2025 city budget of just over $103 million. Being a good fiscal steward of the public’s dollars requires an open, transparent process, and knowledge on how to lead a successful, efficient local government.

The last two city managers were hired through recruitment firms. With the recent retirement of the administrative services/personnel director earlier this year, the current human resource (HR) staff have been very busy, focused on the hiring process for other city jobs, not to mention the other day-to-day responsibilities required by an organization’s human resource division, which include city compliance with labor laws, employee training and management of employee benefits.

Hiring a recruitment firm provides the city council with the best tools to find qualified candidates to fill this important position for the community. WBCP, Inc. specializes in reviewing applicants and identifying qualified candidates.

The firm has knowledge of the industry and a successful track record of finding the best fit for the position. Their team will narrow down the list of applicants and help the council select candidates for interviews that meet the qualifications for the position. In her presentation, WBCP President Wendi Brown said, “WBCP understands the complexity of community leadership, and we are prepared to provide a thorough, complete, and fair recruitment process to provide a diverse applicant pool.”

In-person candidate interviews with the city council will be scheduled during a special city council meeting in November, which will provide the public an opportunity to attend or watch the interviews via live-stream or on-demand.

Subject to the city council finding a qualified candidate during the interview process, the new city manager would start at the beginning of 2025.