Iowa City Council could appoint Geoff Fruin to interim city manager

IOWA CITY - The Iowa City City Council appears poised to appoint Geoff Fruin, assistant to the city manager, to interim city manager in the near future.

With current City Manager Tom Markus starting his new job in Kansas in less than two months, the council discussed their plans to fill that role during its Tuesday work session.

'I personally think Geoff is fully prepared to act as interim. I think it would be wise to go in that direction,” said Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton.

The council could formally vote on a resolution appointing Fruin as interim city manager at its Feb. 16 meeting.

'I feel like for me . . . (Fruin) should be appointed the interim city manager,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kingsley Botchway. 'I feel, if he's wanting the interim position, I'm perfectly comfortable moving forward.”

Fruin did not attend the portion of the work session dedicated to discussing the city manager position.

The council's predicament follows last month's announcement from Markus that he would be resigning to take a job as city manager of Lawrence, Kan. His first day is tentatively set for March 21.

Markus urged the council to use a professional executive search firm - one with public sector experience, specifically with local government management - to begin the process of recruiting candidates that would best match Iowa City's city manager profile.

That process involves first having City Clerk Marian Karr and City Attorney Eleanor Dilkes prepare a Request for Qualifications to find the best firm and create the timeline for making a selection.

That firm will help the city identify viable candidates and create a salary range for the position. Markus's current Iowa City salary is about $173,000. His new position in Lawrence will pay $190,000.

Markus noted the value of hiring a firm to find the most viable candidates. This value, however, comes at a price: he estimated it could cost roughly $20,000 to $30,000 to hire such a firm, not including the cost of bringing candidates in for visits.

'They know who is out there, they know who may be interested, they know how to go about soliciting and inquiring people, not just advertising a positon,” he said.

Markus estimated the search process to take between 90-180 days.

The council Tuesday expressed a desire to wait as much as three months with Fruin acting as interim city manager before the council decides whether or not to pursue a search.

Members of the council said having an interim mayor should help new council members 'get their sea legs” and analyze how Fruin handles the new role.

Markus cautioned the council to not wait too long to come to make a decision on a permanent city manager, as it is a position that will be needed to help carry out the council's strategic planning and budgeting goals.

'The only thing I would say to you is don't let that process drag on too long,” he said. 'Don't let that linger.”