The number of applicants is what was expected, he said.
“From the beginning, they told us we would get 25 to 30 applicants,” Paullus said. “It fell right in line with what they were telling us.”
Paullus couldn’t specify any more until after City Council meets with the consultant on Monday, including a timeline as to when interviews could take place, or when a city manager could be hired.
Fairfield has been without a full-time city manager since Wendling’s resignation. Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett has been filling in as acting city manager, as well as maintaining his fire chief responsibilities, since mid-December.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Several agencies bid to be the search firm to aid Fairfield in its city manager search. A divided council chose in April to hire one of the search firms instead of first interviewing an internal candidate. That candidate, former assistant city manager Scott Timmer, was later hired in July to be the assistant Butler County administrator.
Council hired Management Partners Inc. in May to conduct a regional search at the cost of $24,500, plus costs. Management Partners expressed early interest in the opportunity as it was one of two firms that sent an unsolicited request within days of Wendling’s resignation.
Wendling and city officials didn’t comment on his resignation, though the former city manager said his decision to resign had “been brewing for a while” and “it’s just the right time.”
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