Glenwood Prepared To Pay Next City Administrator $115,000 - $125,000

The city of Glenwood is upping the ante for the salary of its next city administrator.

Big time!

At the recommendation of a Mason City-based consultant, the city is looking at paying its next city administrator an annual salary of $115,000 - $125,000, a substantial increase from the $76,358 salary being paid to current City Administrator / Finance Director Amber Farnan.

With the expectation that Farnan will be elected county auditor in the November general election and resign as city administrator, the city has started the process of finding her replacement. That process began in August by agreeing to have Hinson Consulting, LLC, facilitate the hiring process for a fee of $18,000.

“It (city administrator) is a very underpaid position and it has been for quite some time,” Glenwood Mayor Angie Winquist said. “If you look around the state, most of the administrators are in six figures. We want to find somebody that is experienced because we need experienced and we can’t get them for the current salary Amber’s making.”

Winquist noted the city of Red Oak is paying its new city administrator, hired in August, a salary of $130,000. She added that  Farnan’s pay is lower than the salary being paid to Police Chief Eric Johansen.

“She makes less than the chief does because of his longevity and the salary increases,” she said. “Most cities, the city administrator is the top-salaried person.”

Written recommendations from Hinson shared with Glenwood City Council members at their Sept. 10 meeting, state that the $115,000 - $125,000 pay range is based on a candidate with a master’s degree and 5-7 years of “related experience.”

“If you want to recruit more experienced candidates, they’re (Hinson) the ones you need to utilize,” the mayor said. “It’s no different then when a school board goes out to a consulting firm for a superintendent because they can reach the entire state for us. We just don’t have the means or time to try and recruit somebody from another part of the state.

“Red Oak used Hinson and their person is from another part of the state.”

Winquist said she believes the job will attract quality candidates.

“First of all, I think we’re finally getting our salary in line to what other cities pay, but I think because we’re close to the metro, we have a lot of things we can offer in a small town – we have a great school system - but there’s also the 20-minute drive into Omaha or Council Bluffs to get to the bigger city for events.

“I think it can be attractive for anybody that wants to come here. I don’t like to call us a bedroom community, but we do have that access over to Bellevue and Omaha and the airport’s 20 minutes away.”

The city council has not decided if it will require the city administrator to live in the city.

“We would like them to live in Glenwood and will strongly urge them to live in Glenwood, but if they live in Mills County, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Winquist said. “We want somebody invested in the community and I’m hoping that the person will.”

Hinson Consulting has started advertising for the position. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 16. At that time, a screening of the candidates will begin. An offer for employment will be made the second week of November with a projected start date of mid-December.

Farnan’s new duties as county auditor will begin in November after results of the election are certified. The current salary for county auditor is $76,440.

Winquist praised Farnan for the job she’s done as city administrator.

“I think she’s done a great job,” she said. “She brought it up to a great level and she’s gotten involved in a lot of things in the city. She’s done an excellent job on the budget – working with people. I really hate to see her leave.”