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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-06-15 Correspondence.s ~ar~~ SP~S~~ 6/15/10 DRAFT IOWA CITY -CITY MANAGER RECRUITMENT PROFILE Community Background Iowa City: In the top five of the "Best in National Rankings" for: Public Schools...Metro Area for Livability... Small Metro Area...Metro Area for Expanding a Business Offering big-city amenities and small-town hospitality, Iowa City is recognized by many national surveys and publications as one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family. Iowa City is known to its residents as a community with "extraordinary opportunities in an unexpected place." Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, Iowa City has long served as a focus for culture, education, variety, and fun. It was carved out of native prairie in 1839, and when statehood was achieved in 1846, Iowa City was the first state Capitol. The Capitol was moved to Des Moines in 1857. "The Old Capitol" is now a national historic landmark. Iowa City is a diverse community from all perspectives including social, economic, business, educational, and housing. One of the major contributing factors to the community's diversity is the University of Iowa, which was founded in 1847. It is recognized as one of the nation's top public universities, offering more than 100 areas of study for its 30,500 students. Since 1936, the University has been home to the renowned Iowa Writers Workshop, which has fostered the creative talents of writers such as Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, and Flannery O'Connor. UI Hospitals and Clinics is one of the largest university-owned teaching hospitals in the nation and was named one of "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News and World Report magazine. The University has been a pioneer in such diverse fields as speech pathology, space exploration, and educational development. Iowa City is also served by the Kirkwood Community College campus which has a local enrollment of 3,300 students. Besides a full Arts and Sciences curriculum, Kirkwood offers customized training programs for area businesses. The National Alliance of Business named Kirkwood the Community College of the Year in 2000 for its work in developing training programs with area businesses. Iowa is known for its emphasis on education and routinely has some of the highest performing school districts in the country. The Iowa City area is no exception. The Iowa City Community School District, which includes the nearby communities of Coralville, Hills, University Heights, and North Liberty, has a growing enrollment of 11,800 K-12 students. The District has 17 elementary schools, three junior high schools, two senior high schools, one alternative school for seventh through twelfth graders, and daycare and pre-school facilities. Iowa City is also home to Regina High School, a private Catholic institution; Willowwind School, an independent school with K-8 and Montessori pre-school; and the Preucil School of Music, specializing in the Suzuki method of instruction. Iowa City's economy is diverse and prosperous. Iowa City is home to facilities of Procter and Gamble, Moore North America, NCS-Pearson, Lear, Oral B Laboratories, the corporate headquarters for ACT, and scores of smaller industries and businesses. The University of Iowa is the community's largest employer with 23,600 employees. The academic and research mission of the University, along with the health care services provided by its hospitals and clinics, have a tremendous economic impact on the area. The Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Technology Corridor, located at the crossroads of interstates 80 and 380, is a model of regional development. The Corridor, encompassing twelve communities plus Johnson and Linn Counties, represents a strong partnership between Priority One and the Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group, the University of Iowa, Kirkwood Community College, Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy, and the Cedar Rapids Area and Iowa City Area Chambers of Commerce. Iowa City boasts a vibrant 24/7 downtown. It is home to the Iowa City Public Library, Iowa's busiest library in terms of visits, circulation, and meeting room usage. Downtown retail is unequalled when it comes to offering specialty goods including clothing, jewelry, gifts, toys, books, and espresso. The center of downtown is the Pedestrian Plaza, or "Ped Mall," which provides outdoor space for music performances, a children's play structure, an interactive fountain, and numerous sidewalk cafes and food vendors. 2 In 2008 Iowa City was named an international City of Literature by UNESCO. Only the third city in the world to receive this designation, following Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia, Iowa City hosts a network of university, grassroots and civic institutions that teach, celebrate, nurture and study great writing. Throughout the year, major poets, writers, and others read from their works at University events or local bookstores. From live music and art festivals to Broadway performances, Iowa City has an event to suit anyone's taste. During the summer months, live music becomes a part of the downtown's ambiance with the weekly Friday Night Concert series. Each July the community hosts a jazz festival that attracts enthusiasts from throughout the region. The annual Iowa Arts Festival features the state's best visual art, music, and food. Iowa City has several theatres, including Riverside Theatre's outdoor Shakespearean stage in City Park; the restored historic Englert Theatre, which hosts nationally-known performers and local performance groups in the center of downtown; and the University's Rancher Auditorium, which showcases performers of international renown. Iowa City is a place of rolling hills, lush and scattered woodlands, and tall grasses. In the Iowa City area alone, there are 41 public parks, several of which overlook the scenic Iowa River. Many of these parks are equipped with networks of walking and biking trails as well as picnic sites and prairie reserves. In 2009, Iowa City was designated a Bicycle Friendly Community (Bronze Level) by the American League of Bicyclists. Additional information about Iowa City is available at www.icgov.org. City Government Background The City of Iowa City has operated under the council-manager form of government since 1951. The City Council consists of seven Council Members elected at-large to four-year staggered terms. Three Council Members are nominated by district. A primary election is held in the district only if there are three or more candidates for a district Council seat. One of the Council Members is selected as Mayor by a majority vote of the Council and serves atwo-year term as Mayor. The Mayor is a voting member of the Council and has no veto power. The Mayor is the official representative of the City, presiding officer of the Council, and its policy spokesperson. 3 The Council appoints a City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk. The Council also approves the City Manager's appointment of the Police Chief and Fire Chief. The Library Board appoints a Library Director, and the Airport Commission appoints an Airport Manager. All other personnel decisions are made by the City Manager or those to whom the Manager delegates the responsibility. Iowa City is afull-service municipal government providing a wide array of city services as shown in the accompanying organizational chart. The City has 630 full-time equivalent employees. The City is on a July-June fiscal year and has a total budget of $150 million. The City conducts collective bargaining with Police, Fire, and AFSCME units. All of the bargaining units negotiated multi-year agreements last fiscal year except for the Police unit which has aone-year agreement. Issues and Opportunities The following is a summary of the issues and opportunities to be managed by Iowa City's next City Manager. • Financial Management-the City is property tax dependent with property taxes comprising approximately 68 percent of General Fund revenues. Historically, assessed valuations have grown by four percent annually. However, in this current economic climate, no increase is expected in assessed valuations during the next two years. The City has not recently experienced layoffs of City employees and has a strong financial position as evidenced by the fact that the City has enjoyed a Aaa bond rating from Moody's for the last 34 years. The next City Manager needs to pursue various strategies for maintaining the City's strong financial condition, including obtaining federal and state grants, productivity improvements, examination of revenue alternatives, and increasing the property tax base through economic development. • Economic Development-the City has been involved in several redevelopment projects through the use of tax increment financing (TIF). In addition, the City has actively pursued industrial economic development opportunities. The City Manager needs to be proactive in aggressively pursuing new economic development projects. 4 • Flood Control-the Iowa River runs through Iowa City, and the community experienced major flood events in 1993 and 2008. As a result, the voters approved a local option sales tax in 2009 that is expected to generate more than $32 million over its four-year life. The City Manager will be responsible for overseeing implementation of various flood control projects to be funded by the local option sales tax as well as State and Federal funding. • Strategic Planning-the City has a Comprehensive Plan and several departments have strategic plans, but the City has not had a broad strategic plan for several years. The City Council is interested in developing a strategic plan in the near future. • Succession Planning-- as with most employers, the City will be losing many baby-boomer employees to retirement over the next several years. The City has a track record of supporting internal promotions when feasible. However, the City does not have a formal leadership development or succession plan. Such plans are desired to ensure the City organization is able to maintain its high level of professionalism and skills. • Partnerships--the City has key partnerships with several entities, including the University of Iowa, Iowa City Community School District, Johnson County, the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau, ICAD, and the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce. The City Manager must be an active player in continuing to build these partnerships in a mutually beneficial manner. Job Requirements The minimum job requirements are: 1) Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with graduate degree in public administration or related field; and 2) at least seven years of progressively responsible executive-level management experience, preferably in a full- service municipality of similar size and complexity (experience in a community with a major university is strongly preferred but not required). Desired Professional and Personal Attributes The following are the desired professional and personal attributes for Iowa City's next City Manager: 5 • Strong financial management skills with demonstrated track record of developing revenue and expenditure options that enhance financial condition; • Visionary who partners with the Mayor, Council, and City staff on policy initiatives; • Creative, innovative thinker; • Demonstrated track record of leadership role in successful economic development activities; • Active in the community as a visible City official personally taking part in civic and community activities and events; • Ability to work with a highly qualified, cohesive, and long-term management staff in an effective manner without micro-managing them; • Approachable with good listening and communication skills; • Experience developing and implementing a strategic planning process that results in annual and long-range plans and priorities for the community and the organization; • Intergovernmental relations experience working with local and regional jurisdictions and state and federal agencies in a constructive and cooperative manner; • Appreciation/sensitivity regarding cultural diversity; • Ability to develop productive working relationships with labor unions; • Committed to a customer service orientation with ability to exemplify and promote such an orientation among City employees; • Experience with downtown redevelopment and use of tax increment financing a plus; • Experience with succession planning programs a plus; and • Participation in professional development/association activities and support of same for staff. 6 Compensation The compensation for the City Manager job is highly competitive including an excellent fringe benefit package. The starting salary is dependent on the selected individual's qualifications and match with the desired attributes being sought by the City. The City will pay reasonable and customary moving expenses for the next City Manager, who is required to live within the city limits. To Apply In order to be considered for this position, please send your resume and cover letter with current salary by July 23, 2010 to: Mr. Robert Slavin Slavin Management Consultants 3040 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite A-1 Norcross, Georgia 30017 770-449-4656 (phone) 770-416-0848 (fax) slavin@bellsouth.net www.slavinweb.com AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY RECRUITER/EMPLOYER 7