NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho said she's found an interim city manager to present to the rest of the City Council at their executive session this afternoon.
"We do have somebody that we're going to discuss this afternoon at 2 p.m.," Piros de Carvalho said. "Hopefully, a contract will be on the next regularly scheduled agenda meeting on May 17. I think that the community will be pleased with the selection and it will really signal to the community that we have somebody steering the ship and somebody with experience and a lot of respect in the local government management sector in Kansas."
Piros de Carvalho wants to get into what her fellow council members want in a permanent replacement today, too.
"We'd also like to begin discussions of the sort of qualities that each city council member desires in the next city manager and the process they want to undertake," Piros de Carvalho said. "I'm hoping to hammer out some of those details, so we can get started quickly."
Piros de Carvalho said making sure the city's budget is done as it needs to be is a key to going forward.
"One of the main considerations in the selection of an interim is someone who has strong budgeting background," Piros de Carvalho said. "I can only speak for myself on the council, but I'm hopeful that we also have someone very strong in budgeting for our permanent selection. I'm confident that the person that we're considering can shepherd the budgeting process efficiently and we also have Angela Richard, our director of finance, who is fantastic and has a lot of experience in this."
The intent is to have any final action on today's discussions happen at the regular public meeting May 17 at 9 a.m. at City Hall.