With Jim Puffalt’s time as city manager ending this spring, city council has decided to hire an outside contractor to help find someone to fill the role.
Puffalt announced during the Oct. 24, 2022 regular meeting that he would resign on May 6, 2023 and retire. That date is also when his contract with the City of Moose Jaw ends. He did not provide any other reasons why he planned to retire.
During its personnel committee meeting on Dec. 13, 2022, council selected HumanEdge Executive Search for $32,000 to commence a recruitment campaign for a city manager. The funding comes from the human resource department’s recruitment of staff budget line.
The first official meeting between council and the hiring firm occurred on Monday, Jan. 30, according to the personnel committee meeting minutes presented during council’s Feb. 13 meeting.
It’s “common practice” to use an outside professional firm when hiring for an important position like the city manager, Mayor Clive Tolley said after the Feb. 27 regular meeting.
After Puffalt announced his retirement, several recruitment firms contacted city hall to offer their services, the mayor continued. Council and city administration reviewed the applications and chose HumanEdge Executive Search because it offered the best possible work for the least amount of money.
The recruitment firm will bring together a selection of candidates, allowing council to interview them and then offer a contract to one of them.
“Many people are interested in coming to Moose Jaw and being a part of what we’ve got going here,” Tolley said. “They want to get a life, so they want to come to Moose Jaw, so I’m anticipating an excellent short list of candidates … .”
The city manager is the overall leader of all city employees and runs the city, while that person is council’s only employee, so he or she requires a complex set of skills and attributes, the mayor continued.
Council could hire someone with plenty of administrative experience in the municipal field or look for someone who has been successful in the corporate world.
“Mr. Puffalt’s done very well for five years doing that work,” Tolley added.
Appointment to chairperson positions
Also during the Feb. 27 meeting, for the term of March 1 to April 31, Coun. Heather Eby was named deputy mayor, Coun. Dawn Luhning was named chairwoman of the executive committee and Coun. Kim Robinson was named chairman of the personnel committee, or until successors are appointed.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 13.
