HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.b. City Administrator Search Process and Acting City Amnistrator 4 ROSEMOUNT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Special Work Session: March 18, 2008
AGENDA ITEM: City Administrator Search Process and AGENDA SECTION:
Acting City Administrator Discussion
PREPARED BY: Jamie Verbrugge, City Administrator AGENDA NO. ab,
ATTACHMENTS: List of Search Firms and Draft of an RFP
on Executive Search Consulting Services APPROVED BY: sf
to Recruit and Assist in the Selection of a
City Administrator.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Give staff direction regarding an Executive Search RFP for
City Administrator Position and the Appointment of Acting City Administrator
ISSUE
Friday, April 11 will be my last day of employment with the City of Rosemount as the City
Administrator. Council must determine whom to appoint as acting city administrator upon my
departure and determine a process for permanently filling the position.
A likely first step would be to request proposals from executive search firms to recruit and assist in the
selection of a City Administrator. Attached is a list of executive recruiting firms and a draft copy of an
RFP (Request for Proposal). I would strongly recommend the use of a professional search consultant.
The typical process that such a consultant would use will allow for multiple methods of advertising the
position, specifically targeting prospective applicants, and more thoroughly vetting applicants prior to
narrowing a short list for consideration. The size of the organization and the complexity of the issues
before the City Council will require someone with strong management skills and the ability to
coordinate the senior management team's efforts in pursuing the community's goals. Identification of
these skill sets is best done with the assistance of a professional.
In 2003, Sathe Associates was retained to perform the search. The consultant cost was $18,000 plus
expenses such as long distance phone calls, mass mailings, or travel and lodging. Funds are available in
the Council's departmental budget under the line item Council Contingency.
In terms of determining roles during the transition process, I am recommending that Community
Development Director Kim Lindquist serve as acting city administrator and that Assistant City
Administrator Emmy Foster be the executive search coordinator. It is expected that a search process
will require an acting administrator for 4 -6 months. Many of the priority issues in the next several
months are issues for which Director Lindquist is primarily responsible.
SUMMARY
In order to allow for an orderly transition between administrators, it would be appropriate for the
Council to discuss whom to appoint as Acting City Administrator and to discuss the process by which
the impending vacancy will be permanently filled.
Staff will have draft Council Agenda Memos prepared for the March 18 regular meeting agenda related
to these items that can be revised prior to the regular meeting to reflect discussion at the work session.
2
Search Firms
Brimeyer Associates Jensen Cooper
50 South 9 Avenue 411 108 Avenue NE
Suite 101 Suite 250
Hopkins, MN 55343 Bellevue, WA 98004
(952) 945 -0246 (425) 637 -5656
Contact: Richard Fuhrsman
The PAR Group
Maximus 100 North Waukegan Road
7300 Hudson Boulevard North Suite 211
Suite 270 Lake Bluff, IL 60044 -1694
Oakdale, MN 55128 (847) 234 -0005
651- 739 -8086
Contact: Tom Carawan Springsted
Contact: Bob Thistle
Labor Relations Associates 85 East Seventh Place, Suite 100
7501 Golden Valley Road St. Paul, MN 55101 -2143
Golden Valley, MN 55427 651- 223 -3000
(763) 546 -1470
Setter Associates, LLC
MDA Consulting Group P.O. Box 43250
The Fifth Street Towers Brooklyn Park, MN 55443
150 South 5 Street 763- 424 -5776
Suite 3300 Contact: Richard Setter
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 332 -8182 Midwest Government Advisors
10205 152 Street North
Personnel Decisions, Inc. Hugo, MN 55038
45 South 7 Street William Joynes 612 860 -4950
2000 Plaza VII Tower bjoynes@mngadvisors.com
Minneapolis, MN 55402 Robert Shellum 651- 341 -0370
(612) 337 -8233 bshellum(a,mngadvisors.com
Contact: Harry Brull
Sathe Executive Search Firm
5821 Cedar Lake Road
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
(952) 546 -2100
The Oldani Group
188 106 Avenue NE
Suite 420
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 451 -3938
Contact: Jan Weissner
Request for Proposals on Executive Search
Consulting Services to Recruit and Assist
in the Selection of a City Administrator for
the City of Rosemount, Minnesota
Proposals Due Noon,
INDEX
Section Description
I. General Information about the City of
Rosemount
II. City /Consultant Responsibilities
III. Proposal Specifications
IV. Instructions on Submitting Proposals
V. Selection Procedure
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The City of Rosemount is requesting proposals from executive search firms to assist
with the recruitment and selection of a City Administrator.
SECTION I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ROSEMOUNT
THE POSITION
The City Administrator is the chief administrative officer of the City of Rosemount.
This position is responsible for directing and coordinating the administration of
municipal government in accordance with policies and procedures established by the
City Council. The City of Rosemount operates under a Council- Administrator form of
government and provides a mayor and a four- member council elected at- large. In
addition to the City Council, there are four City Commissions: Parks and Recreation,
Planning, Port Authority, and Utility.
Under the direct supervision of the City Administrator are the Assistant City
Administrator, City Engineer, Public Works Operations Superintendent, Finance
Director, Community Development Director, Chief of Police, Fire Chief, and Parks and
Recreation Director.
Services
The City has 80 full -time employees in its various departments. The 2008 budget is
$17.85 million ($10.57 million General Fund). Rosemount offers its residents a wide
array of services including recreational activities, streets, water, sewer, police and fire.
The current Mayor and Council Members are:
Expiration of Term
William Droste Mayor December 31, 2010
Mike Baxter Council Member December 31, 2008
Mark DeBettignies Council Member December 31, 2010
Kim Shoe Corrigan Council Member December 31, 2010
Phil Sterner Council Member December 31, 2008
The City Administrator is responsible for the daily operations of the City. Reporting to
the City Administrator is the Senior Management Team. The Council delegates
operational authority to the Administrator who, in turn, delegates specific functional
authority and budgetary responsibility to his/her department heads in accordance with
policies and procedures established by the City Council. There are seven departments
that report to the City Administrator:
Department Senior Management Team
Administration Emmy Foster, Assistant City Administrator
Community Development Kim Lindquist, Community Development Director
Engineering Andy Brotzler, City Engineer
Finance Jeff May, Finance Director
Fire Scott Aker, Fire Chief
Police Gary Kalstabakken, Police Chief
Public Works Rick Cook, Operations Superintendent
Parks and Recreation Dan Schultz, Parks and Recreation Director
THE CITY OF ROSEMOUNT
The City of Rosemount is 15 miles south of the Twin Cities Metropolitan area.
With land area of nearly 36 square miles, Rosemount residents enjoy the advantages of
living in a community with both a small town and a large metropolitan city atmosphere.
Unusual for a city of its size, Rosemount combines industry and agriculture with a
rapidly growing residential community providing an excellent environment in which to
live and work.
The western part of Rosemount exhibits a dynamic, expanding residential community
with a traditional downtown pattern at its heart. A framework for redevelopment in
Downtown Rosemount was adopted in 2004. The first major project resulting from the
framework, a mixed -use tax increment assisted development, is in the final stages of the
land use approval process. Housing options throughout the community include single
family homes, townhomes, condominiums, low- income housing and a senior citizen
center. Residential developments with hundreds of homes are currently under
development, and this pattern of growth will continue for years to come.
A strong, united business community has been achieved in Rosemount through the
activity and cooperation of local business, the City, the chamber of commerce and other
civic organizations. More than 500 acres of industrial and commercial zoned land have
been reserved for development in Rosemount. Rail, air, barge, and freeway access
provide Rosemount's economic community with an expedient transportation system.
Four major highways link Rosemount to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Education is a priority in Rosemount. Award- winning public and private schools
provide both children and adults with superb educational opportunities. A major
portion of the City is part of Independent School District #196, which is the second
largest district in the state. Twelve non public schools also offer education or preschool
through grade 12. Dakota County Technical College, one of the largest technical
colleges in the state, is yet another source of education in Rosemount.
The University of Minnesota is a major landowner in the community, controlling
approximately 3,000 acres, and will play a significant role in Rosemount's future. This
land, known as UMore Park, extends into Empire Township to the south and has been
utilized primarily for agricultural research. The University has engaged the services of
an internationally recognized planning firm to plan this property for future mixed -use
development that bears the imprimatur as a "University founded community" and
focuses development around the vision themes of health, energy and education.
Rosemount is unique in that the eastern one -third of the City is largely heavy industry
with business including Flint Hills Resources (formerly Koch Refinery), SKB
(industrial waste containment facility), Spectro Alloys, and Continental Nitrogen. The
western one -third of the City includes businesses such as Greif Brothers (multi-
wallbags) and the regional home base for the National Guard. The City also launched an
80 -acre business park in 1995 with tenants such as Cannon Equipment, Geometrix, and
Webb Business Promotions, Inc.
Community leadership has preserved 414 beautiful acres of land for 25 parks. Bordered
by the scenic Mississippi River, Rosemount also contains 270 acres of the Spring Lake
Regional Park Preserve. Rosemount's Community Center provides a variety of indoor
recreation opportunities and meeting space, including an ice arena and gymnasium.
The City Council has scheduled an $8 million referendum on April 22, 2008 to finance
construction of a 57 -acre outdoor recreation complex as well to make physical
improvements to the former St. Joseph Church. The church campus on South Robert
Street was purchased by the City in 2005. Half of the property was turned over to
Dakota County for the purpose of building a Rosemount branch of the County library
system, which will open in January 2009.
Close to the center of the Twin Cities and the International Airport, Rosemount is a
close -knit community in touch with the urban environment. Rosemount is a community
rich with resources: undeveloped land, easy access to Minneapolis, St. Paul and other
major markets, quality education and friendly residents.
Additional information on the City of Rosemount can be found on the City's web site at
www.ci.rosemount.mn.us
SECTION II CITY /CONSULTANT RESPONSIBILITIES
Advertising
The consultant will arrange for advertisements in the ICMA newsletter and local
newspapers. In addition, affirmative action agencies will be contacted.
Accepting Applications
The consultant will accept and acknowledge applications.
Data
Elected officials and City staff will cooperate with the selected consultant in providing
requested information and scheduling meetings.
SECTION III PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS
Scope of Services
Evaluate the City's unique needs based on financial condition, existing programs,
organization, etc., to determine appropriate areas of expertise required by candidates.
Evaluate the Mayor and City Council's expectations for involvement in the screening
process.
Recommend a "short list" of candidates for personal interviews with the Mayor and City
Council.
Check references and perform necessary background checks.
Reports and Timing
The consultant will prepare 10 copies of all reports, including a report of the methods and
criteria to be used in the screening process, and a report recommending the candidates for
interview.
The consultant will make a verbal presentation of each report to the Mayor and City
Council.
The consultant will proceed with the project with expeditious timing of the entire process.
This item must be addressed in the proposal.
SECTION IV INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING PROPOSALS
Interested firms are invited to submit a proposal to the City of Rosemount by
at noon.
Please direct all inquiries and proposals to:
Emmy Foster
Assistant City Administrator
City of Rosemount
2875 145 St. W
Rosemount, MN 55068
651 -423 -4411
emmy.foster@ci.rosemount.mn.us
Ten copies of the proposal are required to be submitted.
The proposal shall include the following information:
A statement of your understanding of the work, description of the approach,
explanation of the procedures to be used, and timetable to be followed.
Qualifications of the personnel proposed to supervise and perform the work. This
should include biographies, including experience of the individuals who will be
assigned to the work and relevant experience of each in working with
municipalities.
A statement of the firm's experience with public sector executive searches in the
Midwest. This statement should include a list of Minnesota cities that your firm
has provided executive search services to during the past two years and up to 10
references (clients and/or placements) for city administrator positions. Please
include contact information for all references.
The not -to- exceed fee for performing the work, including out -of- pocket expenses.
Include a breakdown showing the hours to be worked by category of personnel,
hourly billing rate, estimated out -of- pocket expenses, and total cost.
Indicate the fee payment schedule.
SECTION V SELECTION PROCEDURE
The proposals will be evaluated upon the following factors:
Relevant experience of the firm.
Reputation of the firm based on references.
Qualifications of personnel to be assigned.
Agreement to meet or exceed the performance specifications.
Commitment to complete the process in a timely manner.
Ability to communicate the work plans in an organized, clear and convincing
manner.
Estimated cost of the study.
The Mayor and City Council may conduct oral interviews with some or all of the firms
that submit proposals.