The Crookston City Council met on Monday night passing a resolution to hire the firm of David Drown & Associates (DDA) to conduct the search for the next City Administrator. A special Ways & Means meeting was held Monday prior to the council to discuss the possible hiring of the firm. A motion to hire the firm for $22,000 passed unanimously at the special meeting as did the resolution at City Council.
The DDA branch for Administrator search comes with a 24-month assurance of the hire made which Councilmen Bobby Baird and Jake Fee both noted as important. Baird explained that assurance means if the hired City Administrator doesn’t last at least 24 months, DDA will provide the service again with only expenses charged to the City of Crookston, not the professional service fees. “We looked at this pretty hard with everybody,” said Baird. “Going DDA, we feel pretty comfortable with them. And their assurance is stating if an administrator is hired and if within 24-months of their hiring they leave, DDA will do another search without the professional service fees, just some expenses. That’s a big thing if it don’t work out, it don’t work out, you know. Like I say we looked at it pretty hard and we’re really good with it.”
Councilman Steve Erickson said no one likes to spend $22,000 but that a search like this was over the council’s head, while DDA specializes in this service and does it professionally. That sentiment was echoed by Acting Mayor Dale Stainbrook. “We’re going to spend a little bit of money, but they are more educated than we are on trying to find a City Administrator,” said Stainbrook. “Hopefully we can get the right candidates to come here to interview and get someone sitting in the administration seat. But it’s a process. It’s going to take some months, profiles by the council to see what our wants and needs are and go from there.”
The prospective timeline, or best-case scenario, for placement of a City Administrator, would be to hire someone in May and have them start in June. “If everything goes right, maybe May, or it could stretch out a little bit longer,” said Stainbrook. “I know it was a process when we went through a City Administrator [search] before we hired Shannon [Stassen]. It took some time and then discussion for down the road is council just going to interview the candidates or are we going to having community and department heads also. There is some tweaking to work out with it.”
In addition to the $22,000 paid to David Drown Associates, the City of Crookston will also be responsible for the expenses of bringing finalists to Crookston for the final interviews.
The meeting also included a litany of consent agenda items passed including approving the City Council Minutes for the December 9 meeting and approving bills and disbursements totaling $293,304.21. Also included are resolutions to, appoint City of Crookston Finance Director Angel Weasner as Interim City Administrator, designate 2020 polling locations, approve TIF 3-4 payment to Crookston Townhomes Limited Partnership, approve a TIF 3-7 payment to Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, approve a TIF 3-10 payment to Agassiz Townhomes Limited Partnership, and to approve a transfer of funds for the Barrette Street Estates payback.
Two additional approved resolutions dealt with licensing, one to approve license renewals for tobacco at Ampride, M&H, and Hugo’s. Taxi service at Ampride, and Garbage Services with Regional Sanitation Services, and Alternative Solutions. The second approval 2020 amusement licenses including video/dart machine, jukebox, pool table, arcade, and exhibition licenses for VFW Post 1902, Crookston Eagles, IC Muggs, Crooks Club, Happy Joe’s, Walmart, and Drafts Sports Bar & Grill.
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