NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Interim Hutchinson City Manager Gary Meagher expects to be on the job a few more months.
"The recruiter has met with the city council," Meagher said. "He's developing a brochure currently. The advertisement will be out very soon. I'm sure he has a lot of people in his network that he's probably reached out to, or made aware of the upcoming vacancy. It looks like, right now, that probably some time in October, the finalists, some of the finalists will be selected. Interviews are scheduled to occur sometime in November. Then, I would guess, shortly after the interviews, an offer will be extended to one of the applicants. Then, that process will depend on the availability of the applicant."
Meagher, who was both a city manager in McPherson and the Reno County Administrator before retiring and being available to help Hutchinson out, said sometimes those kind of transitions take a while.
"When I was with the county, my contract read that I had to give 60 days notice," Meagher said. "It's pretty common that either 30 to 60 days notice is required."
With that in mind, Meagher is pretty sure he'll be helping out until around the end of the year and 2024 initial budget discussions with department heads will need to happen in the first quarter of 2023 between them and whoever is hired. Meagher said his goal is not to tie the hands of the new person, if at all possible.
"I want to keep things moving, that's what I was hired to do," Meagher said. "I don't want to make too many permanent decisions, because a new manager may have a different view. We're trying to keep things in the best shape we can for that person to come in. Certainly, I'll be working with them, if they want some of my views, I'll be glad to share that with them on maybe how to go forward, then it will be up to them how they want to structure. I think there's opportunity, perhaps, for restructuring some things."
The city's 2023 official budget hearing is next month.