9.d) Staff Report-Resignation and Replacement of Fire Chief � �
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SCANDIA
Staff Renort
Date of Meeting: May 21, 2013
To: City Council
From: Kristina Handt, Administrator
Re: Resignation and Replacement of Fire Chief
Agenda Item #: 9.d)
Background:
On April 24, 2013, Chief Jim Finnegan submitted his letter of resignation to Mayor Simonson
effective June 1, 2013. Finnegan has said he is willing to stay on as Chief until a successor can
be appointed.
City Ordinance No. 117 covering the selection of officers of the Fire and Rescue Department
states "The chief shall be appointed by the City Council for a term of four years... The City
Council may solicit the recommendation(s) of the members of the Fire Department prior to
appointment of the chief."
Since the Fire and Rescue Department is a department of the City, City of Scandia Personnel
Policies also apply. Employee recruitment and selection is covered in section two. Subsection
b) Recruitment starts as follows:
1) The City Administrator will manage the hiring process for positions within the City.
While the hiring process may be coordinated by staff, the City Council is responsible
for the final hiring decision and must approve all hires to City employment. All hires
will be made according to qualifications and fitness related to the position being
filled.
2) The City Council will determine if a vacancy will be filled through an open
recruitment or by promotion, transfer or some other method. This determination will
be made on a case-by-case basis. The majority of position vacancies will be filled
through an open recruitment process.
Issue:
How should the City Council proceed in filling the upcoming Fire Chief vacancy?
Proposal Details:
As stated in the personnel policies, one of the options the Council may use to fill a vacancy is
through promotion. I would recommend the Council proceed with this option. In order to allow
any current Scandia Fire and Rescue members to express their interest in the position, the
Council should post the opening for internal candidate for a period of two weeks (ending on June
Sth). The Council would then interview applicants at a special meeting the week of June l Otn
Appointment of a new Fire Chief would take place at the June 18th Council meeting with a July 1
effective date.
This process (of interviewing internal applicants) is similar to how the vacancy was filled the last
time there was an opening in 2009.
Fiscal Impact:
Per ordinance 03-19-13-04, the hourly pay for the Fire Chief is $14.00. In addition, the Chief
receives a monthly stipend of$350.
Options:
1) Accept the Resignation of Chief Finnegan effective upon the appointment of a successor
and advertise the vacancy to internal applicants for two weeks.
2) Accept the Resignation of Chief Finnegan and determine a different process for filling
the vacancy.
Recommendation:
Option 1.