MONROE - Finding a new city administrator may involve tweaking the job description, but not changing the entire form of city government.
The Monroe Salary and Personnel Committee and other aldermen met Wednesday with Denise A. Frueh and William D. Frueh, partners of Public Administration Associates, LLC, Oshkosh, to discuss how the firm might help in the search for a new city administrator.
The city hired them to conduct a search for the city's first administrator in 2006.
Mayor Ron Marsh told the committee the job description for city administrator is in the city code, and encouraged members to familiarize themselves with it in time for the next committee meeting June 24.
But William Frueh, a partners in the firm, said cities are always changing.
"Whatever the elected mayor and council say they need is what the skills should be," he said.
The committee will decide what steps to take about hiring the Fruehs and what they will ask for in a city administrator at the next meeting.
To be ready to hire an administrator by Oct. 15, Frueh said the city would need to be ready to submit ads before August.
Committee member Dan Henke asked what the differences were between having a city administrator or manager, or a mayor with the same responsibilities.
Frueh recommended the administrator as "a professional to carry out the policies that elected leaders want."
Under a council-manager form of government (Wisconsin Chapter 64), managers have too much power, and are ill-equipped to fill the needs, he said. Chapter 64 makes no reference to a mayor; president of the council is the highest elected official.
"Wisconsin is leading the nation in turning its back on city manager form (of government)," he said.
Cities under Chapter 62 can establish the position of administrator by ordinance and tailor the duties of the administrator to fit the particular needs of the city. The position of the mayor remains, but the administrator is responsible for day-to-day operations, and is removed from political influences.
"But as the mayor said, you may want to tweak the ordinance of job description," Frueh said.
Director of Public Works Kelly Finkenbinder asked Frueh what he thought about combining the position of administrator with other departments, such as human resources (HR) or safety.
Denise Frueh said other cities, such as Chippewa Falls and Sturgeon Bay, combine the position of HR with their administrator, and Merrill includes the positions of HR, economic developer and engineer.
"The administrator doesn't have to know everything," Marsh said. "He needs to take the resources, put them together and make them work ... utilizing the departments to their fullest."
William Frueh outlined the steps they would take to pare down applicants for the job to four candidates to be interviewed by council members.
The procedure is essentially the same one used two and a half years ago. From the expected 30-40 applications, Frueh and Frueh will produce "mini-resumes," from which they will help council members choose 10 semi-finalists. They will be asked to produce a 6-minute video interview, and aldermen and the mayor will choose about four finalists for interviews.
The finalists will have their academic credentials verified and will be subject to a criminal background check. During their personal interviews, candidates will take a written test to critique their planning and communication abilities. They will also meet with department heads and take a tour of the city.
The Fruehs offered to perform the same search procedure they did in 2006 for the same price of $6,000 plus expenses.
The Monroe Salary and Personnel Committee and other aldermen met Wednesday with Denise A. Frueh and William D. Frueh, partners of Public Administration Associates, LLC, Oshkosh, to discuss how the firm might help in the search for a new city administrator.
The city hired them to conduct a search for the city's first administrator in 2006.
Mayor Ron Marsh told the committee the job description for city administrator is in the city code, and encouraged members to familiarize themselves with it in time for the next committee meeting June 24.
But William Frueh, a partners in the firm, said cities are always changing.
"Whatever the elected mayor and council say they need is what the skills should be," he said.
The committee will decide what steps to take about hiring the Fruehs and what they will ask for in a city administrator at the next meeting.
To be ready to hire an administrator by Oct. 15, Frueh said the city would need to be ready to submit ads before August.
Committee member Dan Henke asked what the differences were between having a city administrator or manager, or a mayor with the same responsibilities.
Frueh recommended the administrator as "a professional to carry out the policies that elected leaders want."
Under a council-manager form of government (Wisconsin Chapter 64), managers have too much power, and are ill-equipped to fill the needs, he said. Chapter 64 makes no reference to a mayor; president of the council is the highest elected official.
"Wisconsin is leading the nation in turning its back on city manager form (of government)," he said.
Cities under Chapter 62 can establish the position of administrator by ordinance and tailor the duties of the administrator to fit the particular needs of the city. The position of the mayor remains, but the administrator is responsible for day-to-day operations, and is removed from political influences.
"But as the mayor said, you may want to tweak the ordinance of job description," Frueh said.
Director of Public Works Kelly Finkenbinder asked Frueh what he thought about combining the position of administrator with other departments, such as human resources (HR) or safety.
Denise Frueh said other cities, such as Chippewa Falls and Sturgeon Bay, combine the position of HR with their administrator, and Merrill includes the positions of HR, economic developer and engineer.
"The administrator doesn't have to know everything," Marsh said. "He needs to take the resources, put them together and make them work ... utilizing the departments to their fullest."
William Frueh outlined the steps they would take to pare down applicants for the job to four candidates to be interviewed by council members.
The procedure is essentially the same one used two and a half years ago. From the expected 30-40 applications, Frueh and Frueh will produce "mini-resumes," from which they will help council members choose 10 semi-finalists. They will be asked to produce a 6-minute video interview, and aldermen and the mayor will choose about four finalists for interviews.
The finalists will have their academic credentials verified and will be subject to a criminal background check. During their personal interviews, candidates will take a written test to critique their planning and communication abilities. They will also meet with department heads and take a tour of the city.
The Fruehs offered to perform the same search procedure they did in 2006 for the same price of $6,000 plus expenses.