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DRAFT (contact the town clerk at (919)469-4011 for official minutes)
Minutes
Town Council Present: Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, Mayor Pro Tem Julie Robison, Council Members Gale Adcock, Don Frantz, Ervin Portman, Jennifer Robinson, and Jack Smith
Mayor Weinbrecht started the meeting at 4:32 p.m.
Consultant Steve Straus introduced himself and provided his background for council. He distributed Exhibit A, labeled “Emotional Intelligence Factors”. He distributed Exhibit B, which is labeled “Menu of Offerings”, which includes Straus’ proposed steps for selecting a town manager.
Straus stated after the recruitment period is closed, the remaining steps can be concluded in about six weeks and (to get to the point of inviting finalist(s) for final interviews). He stated he spends about three hours training the volunteer assessors on how to evaluate the candidates. He stated there may be minor costs for travel and overnight stay expenses for the assessors.
Mayor Weinbrecht asked how Straus would go about getting enough larger city managers. Straus stated there are quite a few in NC (city and county) and some department heads, and he may also need to go out-of-state.
Mr. Portman asked Straus’ role with a search firm and the delineation of duties and pros and cons of the hybrid method. Straus stated if council wants to go outside NC, it would be good to get a strong search firm. The firm would depend on Straus to give them a strong job analysis, and it would be helpful for council to give input. The search firm would take the lead in the recruitment process and possibly the first level screen. Then they would turn everything over to Straus for the second level screen.
Mrs. Robison asked when background checks are done. Straus suggested a thorough check later in the process because it is labor intensive. He suggested a basic check up-front. Human Resources Director Vee Willis suggested discussing this issue with search firm; she believes that criminal checks would be done early in the process.
Mr. Portman asked if Straus develops the various assessment methods. Straus concurred, and stated he would first seek to understand the demands of the town manager position and design the methods in a way to solicit the most in-depth information.
Mr. Smith stated the search firm needs to understand what we’re looking for and reach out to those who may not be seeking a job. He asked if a search firm will really do this to the point that it will add value to the process. He thinks we need some help on the front-end so the search firm part of the process will be successful.
Mr. Portman asked the retention rate that Straus has experienced in this type of work. Straus stated he has been doing this process more for department heads and other positions, and in doing this he noticed that many towns bring in headhunters, which caused him to question the benefit. He believes the process used to evaluate candidates is the most important factor. He has only been doing this at the manager level for about two years, and he has had no turnover. He estimated that he has been involved in six or seven placements at this level.
Mr. Smith stated the process should be council-proof, because council members change more frequently than managers. Mr. Portman thinks a good manager understands to stay out of political issues. Mrs. Adcock thinks flexibility and adaptability are important qualities in a town manager.
Straus stated multiple data points with a rigorous process tend to lead council to make a data-driven decision, and the “gut reaction” follows that.
Mrs. Willis outlined the important factors in her search firm recommendation, including: a group should not only rely on networking; a group should not rely on a lot of fancy advertising; the group should be experienced with this level of search; and the contact person should have excellent qualifications. She suggested Slavin Management Consultants. She stated Slavin has been in this business for a long time; the president wants to be the contact person and has been an assistant manager; candidates may apply to that particular search firm to maintain more confidentiality of their applications; they have fairly good references; they have a good Web site; their process seems easy for candidates; they do a lot of networking; and they have a national presence. She has spoken with Slavin’s president briefly by phone, and he is available to meet with the town council at their next meeting about this issue.
Mrs. Adcock asked about the term “fairly” good references. Mrs. Willis stated she didn’t get excellent references on anyone. She stated she learned that Slavin is very busy; however, she thinks the president really wants this contract. She stated they do have experience in North Carolina and other states.
Mr. Smith appreciates the confidentiality factor they offer.
Mr. Portman asked where the firm is located and the size of their organization. Mrs. Willis stated the president is in Norcross, GA; the six people listed on their Web site are throughout the USA. The president would be the lead person and would use his other team members for contacts, and some of his team members have been city managers.
Mrs. Willis stated her second choice is Waters Consulting, and they emphasized their marketing strategies to build the candidate pool. They were the most expensive, and she questioned if we need all that. Their contact person came from a law enforcement background and has no town manager experience. They did not have as much experience with town manager searches as compared to Slavin.
Mr. Portman asked if Slavin is open to a cost-sharing of the fee based on Straus’ hybrid method. Mrs. Willis stated all the consultant groups said they would work within this method, and their fees would be a little lower but not substantially. She stated the biggest savings would be with the travel expenses for the contact person. She stated the search firm costs ranged from $20,000 to $25,000, and she estimates that it will end up costing from $18,000 to $20,000 for a search firm.
Mr. Portman asked the total cost for employing Straus. Straus stated if he is involved only with the job analysis, the second level screen, the hiring process and debriefing, his fee is $13,500 plus $150 per final candidate. He has not accounted for any additional process that council may desire for the final few candidates. He stated if council chooses not to contract with a search firm, then he can handle the entire process himself for $18,000.
Mr. Smith thinks it is critical to have a good job description for the town manager position.
Mr. Frantz asked how many final candidates Straus will bring to Cary. Straus stated at the very end the council will interact with the assessors, and council makes the final decision on how many candidates to bring back for council interview. Straus’ role is to ensure the council has full, accurate and thorough information to make an informed decision.
Mrs. Robinson stated she is optimistic about Straus’ process based on internal and external candidates.
Mr. Portman asked why the Springstead search firm did not make the top two. Mrs. Willis was concerned that their contact person only had two years of experience. Mr. Smith thinks Slavin is the best choice based on the hybrid method.
By consensus, all council members supported the hybrid method using Slavin as the search firm and Straus and his proposal.
The next meeting of the council to discuss the manager search issue will be November 18, 2008 immediately following the 4:30 p.m. scheduled work session.
Mrs. Robison asked the time commitment if council members are interested in participating in the assessment activities. Straus suggested determining council’s role at the November 18 meeting. He stated it requires two full back-to-back days with no interruptions if there are eight candidates.
The meeting ended at 5:55 p.m.
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