After 11 years of service, Cottonwood City Manager Doug Bartosh is set to retire at the end of the year.
On June 25 the Cottonwood City Council chose the Novak Consulting group — a recruiting firm that specializes in government administration — to assist with the search for Bartosh’s replacement. Council hired the firm at a fee of $21,300.
At a special meeting on July 31, Cottonwood City Council met with Jenn Reichelt, a representative of Novak, to discuss the recruiting process and determine what council is looking for in regard to a new city manager.
“This is probably the most important decision this council is going to make together,” said Cottonwood Mayor Tim Elinski during the July 31 meeting. “I’m pleased that we’re going through this process. I’m sure that we may not all agree on what our top pick is, but my expectation is that we’re not going to go wrong with whatever candidate we’ve got in front of us.”
Reichelt noted that Novak looks to ensure that the search for a new city manager is tailored to the desires of the City Council.
“The ideal candidate is really yours — what you want to look for in a new city manager,” Reichelt said. “What are your priorities?”
In choosing the new city manager, Elinski said he seeks to include the current members of the Cottonwood City Council, along with the five candidates running for council in this year’s election.
“Though you will not be seated in time for a vote, your participation in this process is important to me to ensure a smooth transition from one manager to the next,” Elinski wrote in an email to the City Council candidates. “In the coming months I would like to involve you all and solicit your input as we work through the search in a very public and open process.”
Cottonwood City Council candidates who were in attendance of the July 31 meeting included Doug Hulse, Jackie Nairn, Michael Mathews and Vice Mayor Kyla Allen who is running for reelection. City council candidate Bill Tinnin did not attend.
Council spent a significant portion of the meeting discussing how to ensure that incoming council members are able to participate in the decision-making process. Much of the process will tale place throughout the upcoming months, but before the general election in November.
Another topic that was discussed at length was the compensation of the new city manager. Under the Novak Consulting Group’s initial plan, the position of city manager was initially planned to be between $142,561.69 to $210,082.12 annually.
Some council members voiced concern that this would ultimately push the new city manager’s salary up to the high end of that range.
Reichelt was receptive to their concerns, but she also cautioned against advertising at a lower rate than surrounding communities in the Verde Valley. Camp Verde’s manager is paid $124,000 per year, and the manager’s salary was recently raised to $127,000.
Council decided to seek a lower range between $129,308 and $190,551 annually. They expect the annual salary to end up somewhere in the middle pending negotiations and based on one’s qualifications.
The process outlined by Reichelt will involve a search that garners a few dozen candidates, which will then be whittled down to 12 to 15. Following this process, council will then choose a few candidates. Reichelt suggested that four to six are brought in for in-person interviews.
Throughout this process, in addition to consulting current city council members and city council candidates, Bartosh recommended that candidates for the position of city manager should be given a chance to meet other stakeholders in city government and the community for their input. Bartosh said that this will give candidates a chance to acclimate to the city before starting.
“It gives the community an opportunity to meet the candidates and kind of provide input on the successful ones,” Bartosh said. “I think that helps set the candidate up so they come in and already know people — they’re beginning to network through the interview process.”
Reichelt agreed with Bartosh that it could beneficial throughout the hiring process. However, she insisted on the importance of ensuring that stakeholders understand that their first choice for city manager may not receive the position.
Elinski expressed a similar sentiment, noting that council members should understand that as well.
“We may have our own personal preference, but we’re not working for our own personal benefit, we’re working for the community,” he said.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
Correction: A previous version of this article included incorrect numbers for the proposed city manager salary.
