SWAMPSCOTT — The ongoing search for who will take the reigns as the new Town Administrator continues.
During the latest Select Board meeting on March 5, the board heard updates from the chair of the Town Administrator Search Committee, Heather Roman, who spoke on the efforts that are in place to seek a replacement for the position.
“Through feedback that we’ve gotten from the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) and doing our own research, we’ve learned the majority of communities are municipal search firms for these higher-level hiring positions,” Roman said.
She cited some communities who have followed this formula, such as Auburn, Northborough, Wayland, Wakefield and Danvers. “Some towns that are very similar to us are using them [search firms], and other communities that are much larger than us are using them as well,” she said.
According to Roman, going the route of hiring a municipal search firm comes with advantages. She noted the municipal firms have helpful data on the candidates, and that some candidates may prefer to go through a recruiter for the process.
Roman continued, “Basically, our committee voted unanimously to move forward with the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, so the next question is the cost.”
She added that, unlike an executive search firm, which she said includes a fee and a percentage of salary, a municipal search firm is just a flat fee, and it’s much less expensive. Roman said the cost usually runs between $15,000 and $20,000.
“What I’d like to ask for tonight is authorization for our committee to post the RFP, as well as Financial Authorization for up to $25,000,” Roman said. “Which just gives us a little bit of wiggle-room in case the bids come in higher than we expected, but we really expect them to be between $15,000 and $20,000.”
Roman then gave a timeline update regarding the search. “We’re currently drafting the RFP, and assuming we get the approval tonight to post it, the goal will be to finalize it at our meeting on Friday, then post it on Monday, March 10,” she said. “It will be open from March 10 to March 21.”
She said the RFP will be posted through the MMA’s news publication, The Beacon. The committee will also meet on March 25 to go over the proposals.
Once the firm is secured, the committee will work with it to produce a position statement to help find candidates that meet the community’s needs, Roman said.
The Select Board motioned for an approval subject to approval from the Finance Committee, who still needed to convene and discuss possible avenues of funding the search firm.
