Loveland council approves first-reading funding for city manager search

The Loveland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve first reading of Ordinance 6843, authorizing a supplemental budget appropriation to hire an executive search firm for the city manager recruitment and related public outreach. The funding clears the way for staff to contract with a recruiter once the ordinance returns for second reading in August. Staff recommended the firm SGR after comparing proposals from SGR, GMP, and Bob Murray and Associates.

Deputy City Manager Julia Holland told council the city needs the appropriation before it can move ahead with a contract. She said the three firms were all reputable and offered broadly similar proposals and baseline costs, but staff favored SGR because its quote was competitive and included additional options, including survey and assessment tools council could choose to use.

Holland said the city used its procurement policy allowing three written quotes rather than a full request-for-proposals process. She also outlined a recruitment schedule that would begin with contract development in July and August, followed by stakeholder engagement in August and possibly early September. The search itself would begin in September, with candidate screening in September and October and public engagement with finalists planned for October and November. Holland said the goal would be to negotiate a contract with a selected candidate by November.

During public comment, Casey Mullins questioned why the city was paying for another recruitment so soon after the last one and asked whether a prior recruitment guarantee should still apply. Holland responded that most search contracts include a guarantee period, but the guarantee from the city's previous search firm had expired because the prior city manager served more than 12 months.

Council members generally voiced support for both the funding and the recommendation to use SGR. Council Member Kalina Middleton said she wanted the search to emphasize candidates with experience in a council-manager form of government and a clear understanding of the division between council and staff roles. Council Member Sarah Rothberg said she preferred SGR because of its emphasis on community input, and she asked that city employees beyond the executive leadership team have a chance to be heard during the process. Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Samson also said she supported SGR.

Mayor Patrick McFall noted that second reading could not occur until August because ordinances require four days between first and second reading. The measure, listed as Item 7.3, passed 9-0.