On May 13, Sturgis City Commission held a work session, prior to its regular meeting, to explore next steps in organizational structure.
The primary focus was the process of finding a successor for outgoing city manager Andrew Kuk. In April, Kuk announced his retirement, effective July 24.
City clerk/treasurer Ken Rhodes outlined the options for the board.
The process can include hiring a search firm, Rhodes said. The city contaced Michigan Municipal League for guidance. Other firms the city contacted previously included Amy Cell LLC (now a part of Yeo & Yeo HR Advisory Solutions) and Walsh Municipal Services.
“A search firm would be hired (at) such time the city commission is ready to start searching for the next city manager,” Rhodes told the board. “Are you interested in beginning the process to hire a search firm to look for a city manager? Or are you more interested in doing something in the interim?”
He noted that six of nine commission seats are up for challenge at the November general election, and the commission may prefer to delay a decision for a permanent city manager until after that point, in case there is significant turnover.
Rhodes said someone must be designated for the city manager opening no later than July 25, regardless whether it’s permanent or interim.
Consensus of the commission is to pursue the interim option, assessing a list of available candidates from Michigan Municipal Executives.
Prior to the decision, Kuk said there are department heads within the city who could serve as interim. “It’s just a matter of the commission’s comfort level on an internal candidate.”
Vice mayor Jeff Mullins prefers someone who is a “pro.”
“No disrespect to any department heads, but they haven’t run a city, and I think it’s important to have someone who knows what it is to take on all those responsibilities,” Mullins said.
City attorney TJ Reed said the commission will have to define a set of expectations and duties for the interim role. A majority of work would be for general administration, unlikely to involve something like a 50-hour work week.
Also discussed at the work session was the status of the seat previously held by Linda Harrington. Procedural policy states that if a resignation occurs within the final six months of a commissioner’s term, no replacement will be sought. Harrington submitted her resignation May 10, which is within six months of the Nov. 3 election date.
