The start of the new year could also signal the start of a new era in Plant City. Strategic Government Resources (SGR), the consulting firm hired to recruit the a new city manager, projects the search could be over by mid-December.
Doug Thomas, a senior vice president with the company who focuses on executive recruitment, leadership development and training for local governments, presented his plan to find and vet candidates during Monday’s commission meeting.
SGR was selected to lead the search during a July commission meeting, beating out Slavin and Associates and Colin Baenziger and Associates for the job. Baenzinger and Associates is also the firm that recruited former City Manager Mike Herr to his current position as Winter Haven’s city manager.
Thomas works out of SGR’s Lakeland office. Prior to joining the company he served as Lakeland’s city manager for more than a decade. Thomas said being able to visit Plant City often will be essential in creating a candidate profile to make sure SGR recruits the right person.
“If we don’t understand what’s happening and your dynamics, your culture, I can’t do my job well,” Thomas said. “It’s a critical step for me to spend as much time as I can to get as much exposure as I can with not only yourselves, but all your community stakeholders and community organizations.”
The search will be divided into eight sections: organizational inquiry and analysis, including the project outline and development of the candidate brochure; advertising and recruitment, including marketing and recruitment; initial screening and review process where semifinalists will be selected; evaluation of semifinalist candidates; evaluation of finalists; the interview process for final applicants; negotiations and hiring; and an optional post-hire team building workshop. Once the candidate brochure is completed, the search should take about 12 weeks, Thomas said. His recommended timeline estimates final interviews occurring by Dec. 19.
While Thomas said SGR offers the second-largest local government job board in the country, he plans on actively searching and recruiting the right candidate, something the city said is needed.
“We have a good handle on what we’re doing here and what we’re looking for,” Mayor Rick Lott said. “What we’re really looking for is an aggressive recruiter, not just a process.”
Plant City has struggled retaining city managers in recent years, Vice-Mayor Bill Dodson noted that this will be the fourth time the city has looked for a new manager since he joined the commission in 2002.
“We’ll see if we can get you one that’ll stay for a while,” Thomas said.
SGR’s city manager search isn’t the first time the firm has worked with Plant City. It previously helped with the hiring of Utilities Director Lynn Spivey in 2016.
Spivey said working with SGR was the most thorough application process she’s experienced. Thomas said the hiring process often includes a number of intense interviews, questionnaires and even psychometric evaluations.
“(It was) absolutely the most thorough interview process,” Spivey said. “I thought they were clearly trying to get the right person. The questions were geared to vetting exactly how that person thought. It definitely seemed like a good way to vet candidates.”
SGR estimated the process to cost no more than $23,000. If SGR’s chosen candidate stays with the city for less than 18 months, another would be recruited at no additional cost.