The Soldotna City Council approved during their Dec. 14 meeting a plan of action for the recruitment of a new city manager. Current Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen announced in November that she will not be renewing her contract with the city, which expires on Feb. 28, 2023.
A Dec. 14 memo from Soldotna Human Resources Manager Jessica O’Reagan to city council members says that the city will advertise the vacancy “as soon as practical” and the listing will remain open until the position is filled. The first review of applications, to be received by the city’s HR department, will be on Jan. 16.
The total recruitment process as laid out by O’Reagan reflects a “best-case” scenario and is expected to take between two and three months. The process may change depending on the number and quality of candidates, she wrote. The proposed salary range to be advertised by the city for the position is between $140,000 and $170,000.
Applications will then be reviewed by city council members in a private meeting, where they can either decide to move forward with the highest-ranking candidates, or opt to continue soliciting applications for the position. O’Reagan will be responsible for checking the references of candidates with whom the council would like to move forward.
Queen has served as Soldotna’s city manager since 2018 and previously served as the city’s director of economic development and planning.
Soldotna’s recruitment process comes as the City of Kenai is wrapping up its own efforts to replace outgoing City Manager Paul Ostrander. Following unsuccessful contract negotiations with Kenai Police Chief David Ross, the council is moving forward with Terry Eubank, who currently serves as the city’s finance director.
Kenai City Council members will consider during their Wednesday night meeting whether to approve an employment agreement between the city and Eubank. Per a Dec. 12 memo from Kenai City Clerk Shellie Saner to Kenai council members, Nov. 28 contract negotiations between Eubank and council members were successful.
More information about the City of Soldotna’s city manager recruitment process can be found on the city’s website at soldotna.org.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
