Polson to hire search firm to find new city manager
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POLSON – After nearly 11 months without a permanent head of city government, the city of Polson will contract with a professional hiring firm to find its next city manager.
At the city commission meeting, city planner Kyle Roberts said the city had posted a call for applicants to the city manager position exclusively to city employees. No one currently employed by the city applied for the job. According to a recently adopted regulation, if an internal applicant is not hired the city must hire a search firm.
“I’m just asking for your blessing to allow the search committee to move forward,” Roberts said.
Roberts said he had started the process of reaching out to a search firm. The cost to utilize a hiring firm could be substantial. It cost more than $23,000 when former city manager Mark Shrives was hired using the hiring firm Prothman.
Commissioner Stephen Turner said he supported the hiring of a search firm but thought the commission should meet with the search committee to get everyone up to speed. “I think we should have a meeting with them so both groups are on the same page and direction, so we don’t have any heartburn later on,” Turner said.
At prior meetings, some commissioners had expressed that they wanted acting city manager Wade Nash to become the permanent city manager. Nash said he would not take the job if it interfered with the retirement benefits he has accrued from his time working as chief of police. Nash has fulfilled the roles of both chief of police and city manager since he was appointed interim city manager in November of 2018. Roberts’ announcement that the city received no internal applications means that Nash had not applied for the position.
In March, the city manager search committee recommended the city hire a search firm. Commissioner Bob Martin moved to table that motion for two meetings to explore other options. At previous meetings, commissioners and community members expressed frustration with the delays in the hiring process.
