The city of Savage, Minnesota is facing challenges in filling its vacant finance director position. After two candidates declined offers for the role over the past two months, the City Council has decided to hire a recruitment firm. The council plans to put the recruitment process on hold until January, at which point the recruitment firm will take over the efforts to identify candidates. The estimated cost for this service is around $10,000-$15,000. The decision to delay recruitment is based on the fact that there are currently multiple open positions for finance directors in other municipalities and the end-of-year responsibilities and holidays make recruiting in finance undesirable.
In the meantime, interim finance director services are being provided by Abdo Financial Solutions through January 30, with a budget not exceeding $147,000. The original contract with Abdo was for $60,000, and the additional cost accounts for the extension of services. However, the city is exploring ways to reduce costs and may not extend the contract beyond January. The pay scale for the finance director position ranges from $59.27 to $74.10 per hour, and the city must adhere to this compensation plan when making job offers.
During the first round of recruitment, three candidates were interviewed and two were considered viable. However, negotiations with the chosen candidate fell through. In the second round, one candidate withdrew and another cancelled the interview minutes before it was scheduled to start. The third candidate was offered the position but declined due to a lengthy commute. These challenges have resulted in a small applicant pool and the need for a recruitment firm’s assistance.
