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