Update: A gathering to thank Jason Molino on his service to the City of Batavia and to wish him well in his new endeavor is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 11 at T.F. Brown's in Batavia.
- Contract with an executive search firm.
- Offer a salary and benefits to attract top candidates.
- Seek the opinions of existing staff members.
- Don’t rush to hire someone just to fill the vacancy.
These are the primary suggestions from Batavia City Manager Jason Molino in a memo to City Council as the municipality’s governing body begins its search for a new chief executive.
The memo, dated Jan. 3, will be considered at Monday night’s City Council meeting (7 o’clock, City Centre Council Chambers).
Council also is expected to discuss another memo from Molino that recommends the appointment of Matthew Worth, Department of Public Works director, as the interim city manager, and the postponement of water and sewer projects on several city streets until 2019 and 2020.
Molino resigned his position last month, and will be starting his new job – as Tompkins County administrator – on Jan. 29. His last day in Batavia is Jan. 12.
In his city manager search memo, Molino places much stock in the benefit of an executive search firm.
“Executive search firms will most likely meet with City Council and staff to understand the culture of the organization and what type of leader you are looking for,” he wrote. “From there they would develop a recruitment profile that can be used to assist in advertising and recruiting for the position. Once the position is formally advertised, they will also have a network of existing managers and assistant managers that they know may be a good fit for Batavia.”
Molino indicated that he puts Batavia ahead of the City of Geneva, which also is seeking a new manager -- “This may be bias, but I think Batavia has much more to offer. Right now, Batavia has a great brand,” he wrote – but he also wrote that he believes Batavia’s pay scale is about $15,000 to $20,000 behind the “pay scale of comparable communities.”
He recommends that Council should form a search committee of “a few Council members, department heads and maybe a few community leaders” and to solicit feedback from the staff “that will be working closest to the city manager.”
All told, he wrote that he expects the search to cost around $20,000.
In closing, he advised Council to not hire someone just to fill the vacancy if “no candidate is appealing or appears to be a good fit … Do another search until you find the right leader for your organization.”
Increased Duties for Worth, Others
During the transition, Molino wrote that Worth has agreed to serve as interim city manager until a new leader is appointed, and also suggests additional roles for Ray Tourt, maintenance superintendent; James Ficarella, water and wastewater superintendent, and Lisa Near, deputy director of finance.
His suggestions come with $1,000 per month additional stipends for Worth, and $750 each for Tourt, Ficarella and Neary. All would be effective Jan. 13, contingent upon Council’s approval.
“Originally, the City had proposed a $2 million water line replacement for Union Street, Brooklyn Avenue and South Main Street, in addition to starting the design for a $1.5 million sanitary sewer replacement for Franklin Street, and a Maple & Mill Street sanitary sewer realignment,” Molino wrote. “While this capital work is important, it is recommended that it be pushed back to 2019 and 2020, respectively, when a new City leadership is on board.”
Molino noted that negotiations are continuing with Genesee County regarding water and sales tax agreements – calling it the “single most impactful and important issue facing the interim city manager and City Council over the next six months.”
Because Worth will be required to handle pressing issues, more responsibility will fall upon the other three department heads, particularly several capital projects representing $7 million of infrastructure investment, and the fiscal duties that accompany them.
Click here to read the entire memos on the Batavia City Council page (Organizational Meeting Agenda and Special Conference Agenda -- Jan. 8, 2018). Both meetings are open to the public.
Going with a professional
Going with a professional search firm is the right way to go. But I don't see why the water and sewer projects need to be postponed. Current staff should be able to take care of that.