BOUNTIFUL — Local residency will not be a stipulation in the process to find a new city manager.
The person who is hired to replace interim City Manager Russell Mahan will not have to live in Bountiful or even be required to live within a prescribed proximity to the city.
The city council voted 3-1 recently to eliminate the city manager residency requirement from city code. Councilman Marc Knight voted against the change, arguing the council retained the ability to waive any requirements as part of the hiring process.
The city is currently advertising for someone to replace longtime City Manager Tom Hardy, who left his position after three decades to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mahan, the city attorney, was given the interim tag in Hardy’s absence, but earlier this fall the council opted to move ahead with the search to hire a new manager.
Mayor Joe Johnson said he hopes to have someone in the position by January. The city will advertise for the position with Wednesday as a closing date. Following the closing, the council will review the applications and invite finalists for interviews with the mayor and council.
It is anticipated that a selection will be made no later than Dec. 11, and the hope is to have a new city manager in place no later than Jan. 21, Johnson said.
Johnson thinks removing the residency requirement will make it easier to find a new city administrator. He said it would be too harsh to force someone to move to the city if they accept the job.
“In an ideal world we would like to have a city manager live in Bountiful. But I don’t think we should limit ourselves to that boundary if we don’t have to,” Johnson said.
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