3.1. SR 08-10-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5ity of 'vel' MEMORANDUM Item #3.1. TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor & City Council Pat Klaers, City Admi~j~c~ ator August 10, 1998 Status of City Planner Selection Process The city planner candidate that was discussed at the August 3, 1998, City Council meeting has officially withdrawn from further consideration. The interview team has requested one of the candidates to come back for a second interview. This interview is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, August 12, 1998. Following this interview the group will have to decide if any of the other candidates need to come back for a second interview, whether or not the candidate interviewed on the 12th is our recommendation for the position, or whether or not the city has to stop the selection process. It is unfortunate that the selection process is taking so long, but, as you know, we extended the original deadline by three weeks. However, on the positive side, Planning Assistant Scott Harlicker and our new Planner Steve Wensman have really "picked up the pieces" and have handled all of the planning activities and business that has come forward in the last few months. Since Steve Ach has left, I have asked City Engineer Terry Maurer to play a more active role in reviewing big planning proposals. While Terry is not a planner by nature, he certainly has more than enough experience in planning through all of the municipal engineering work he does, to help us manage the big projects. I guess what I am trying to say is, we certainly need to hire a city planner as soon as possible, but it has to be the right candidate and, in the meantime, we seem to be holding together pretty well through the collective efforts of Terry, Scott, and Steve. I have recently reviewed the status of our city planner selection process with Jim Brimeyer of The Brimeyer Group, Inc. As the Council may recall, Jim assisted the city in the hiring of Paul Steinman and Utilities Manager Bryan Adams. After discussing the situation, Jim did not think he could do much more for us in the recruitment process than what we had done and we both agreed that the lack of apphcants is a reflection of the current market and how busy the planning departments are in the metropohtan communities. By this I mean that the Met Council has required that all metropohtan 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425