FARMINGTON -- Mayor Scott Harbertson said he hopes to have a new city manager in place by mid-November, as the search continues to replace the only city manager the city has ever had.
Max Forbush announced his retirement as city manager after 33 years in August, and city officials have set an Oct. 1 deadline to seek applications to fill the post.
Forbush and his wife are expected to leave in December for a mission to Portugal for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Harbertson said so far more than 30 resumes have come into city offices, with more than a third coming from out of state. He expects to appoint a small committee to review the resumes and weed out those that don't meet the specified criteria and then forward the remaining candidates to a larger committee, which could select as many as six candidates for interviews.
In a best-case scenario, the mayor said he hopes to be in a position to offer the job by Oct. 15, which would give the candidate time to relocate or prepare to take the position by early or mid-November.
With the delay in departing for a mission, having a replacement in place by November would give Forbush some time to work with his potential replacement.
Even though out-of-state applications have come in, the city council agreed to advertise the position only within the state, with a listed salary range of $83,000 to $111,000.
Forbush makes $103,000 a year.
In serving as the community's first city manager, Forbush has overseen an era of growth, which has brought Farmington from a small rural community of 3,500 to a city with 17,500 residents which last year was ranked among the top 20 in the United States for quality of life.
Hired in 1978, Forbush is currently the longest-serving city executive in the Top of Utah. Before taking the Farmington post, he served as city manager of Duchesne.
Comments