SPECIAL COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT

Transcription

1 SPECIAL COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Mayor Murphy and Members of Council MEETING DATE: July 24, 2012 SUBJECT: CAO Recruitment for Township of Muskoka Lakes RECOMMENDATION: That Policy C-CAO-13 a policy respecting municipal procurement be amended to include item 7.h. Non-Recurring Recruitment and Human Resources Services as a Professional and Special Service not subject to the by-law. APPROVALS: Date Signature Submitted By: Walt Schmid, CAO July 24, 2012 Original signed by W. Schmid ORIGIN: BACKGROUND: ANALYSIS: Council, CAO On July 9 th the Chief Administrative Officer tendered his resignation. Council directed that the recruitment process for the position be initiated as soon as possible. N.G. Bellchamber & Associates were contacted to interview both Council members and Senior Staff to determine what traits and qualities were desired in the new CAO. Mr. Bellchamber s brief is attached for Councils review. 1) It is proposed to advertise in the following locations: 2) Timing: Ontario Municipal Administrations Association AMCTO Municipal World Ontario Professional Planners Ontario Municipal Engineers Association All Muskoka Newspapers Advertising could begin as soon as July 30 th with a closing date of August 23 rd. Short list & candidates could be established the week of August 27 th. First interviews would be held shortly after Labour Day. Second interviews would be held mid September. Assuming a months notice will likely be required by the appointee, a realistic start date for the new CAO would be mid to late October.

2 3) Mr. Bellchamber suggests that Council consider hiring an interim CAO once the incumbent departs Muskoka Lakes. An interim CAO will assist in carrying the work load for the senior management team. FINANCIAL: Mr. Bellchamber estimates the cost of the assignment to be between $15,000 and $20, 000 plus taxes and expenses. Township Policy C-CAO-13, The Township Procurement Policy has not identified recruitment services as a special service not subject to the by-law. It is recommended that recruitment and human resources service be added to the section Goods and Services Not Subject to this By-law, and that N.G. Bellchamber & Associates, be awarded the assignment for the recruitment of the new CAO at an estimated cost of between $15,000. and $20,000. plus taxes and out of pocket expenses. Mr. Bellchamber is very familiar with municipal government having been a CAO, Clerk and Treasurer himself. Attachment

3 To: From: Subject: Mayor and Council, Township of Muskoka Lakes Nigel Bellchamber CAO Recruitment for Muskoka Lakes Date: July 18, 2012 Thank you for the opportunity to meet with so many of you and of senior staff on short notice regarding filling the vacancy being left when Walt Schmid departs on September 10 th. The key question I asked each interviewee was What do you think should be the key qualities, talents, behaviours and other characteristics of the individual who is selected to fill the vacancy? You were remarkably consistent in most of your responses. You said: We are looking for someone who o Is respectful of others and who will merit our respect through his/her behaviour. o Demonstrates a high degree of integrity. o Is a good listener o Is relatively calm under pressure o Understands and respects the role of regulations and legislation o Has a general knowledge of most areas of municipal responsibilities, likely with significant expertise in at least one area o Will appreciate the significant role that land use planning plays in the affairs of the Township. o Has the ability to supervise, lead and advise recognizing each requires a slightly different communication style o Does not micromanage his staff and prevents Council from attempting to do so o Knows how to build consensus o Is diplomatic o Demonstrates that he/she possesses an administrative vision o Helps Mayor and Councillors succeed in their roles o Is sensitive to the needs of local business o Requires a high level of customer service o Is willing to say no o Can priorize tasks and use his/her time efficiently o Is innovative and creative when needed o Becomes known in the community in his/her role. o Understands financial management o Is prepared to reflect the will of Council o Will recommend micro and macro strategies both o Is protective of Council when necessary And the most frequent comment was We want someone like Walt! N.G. Bellchamber& Associates, 35 Ambleside Dr., London ON, N6G 4M

4 My analysis of what I heard is that Muskoka Lakes requires a CAO who can appreciate the diversity of service demands that exist in the Township, the importance that land use planning plays in local affairs, and can meet and build upon the challenges of turnover within the senior management team. He or she will have more than a passing knowledge of land use planning in Ontario, but not necessarily be a professional planner. In addition, financial management will be a focus for this individual, particularly for the long term. He or she will be able to lead, inspire, and develop a senior management team, ensure that the Mayor and Council are appropriately advised and be focussed on excellence in customer service as well. These skills will have been acquired during a career of probably fifteen years minimum, with senior managerial experience in a municipal government of at least five years. The successful candidate will have post-secondary education, likely with a Master s degree or professional designation as well. With the Boomers increasingly approaching retirement, and the challenges of this position, the Township will be recruiting in more of a seller s than a buyer s market. The salary range required to attract a qualified candidate may be higher than the current range as a result. I recommend advertising as follows: Ontario Municipal Administrators Association reaches 200 key CAOs across Ontario AMCTO Express-reaches every Ontario municipality Municipal World Xtra-reaches subscribers across Canada Ontario Professional Planners electronic service Ontario Municipal Engineers Association distribution And all Muskoka weeklies Total cost is about $2500. I would not recommend national dailies as they primarily attract numerous unqualified candidates. Time is of the essence, since Walt is leaving in seven weeks. Assuming Council accepts this proposal and advertising can begin the week of July 30 th, with an application closing date of August 23, a meeting could be held the week of August 27 to confirm a short list. Because of the Labour Day weekend, first interviews would not likely be convenient before the week of September 4th and perhaps as late as the 8 th. Assuming second interviews can be held the following week, reference checks and negotiations with a preferred candidate would take another week. The practical earliest for an appointment by-law to be before Council would be September 24 th. With a month s notice likely required by the appointee, the earliest realistic start date is October 22 nd. In the interim it is essential that Council appoint a temporary CAO. Given your current staffing, and generally in most situations, I would not suggest a department head. There are competent CAO retirees that can do an effective job in such a situation, usually as three day a week assignments, and while I make no commission from doing so, there are several that I can recommend. N.G. Bellchamber& Associates, 35 Ambleside Dr., London ON, N6G 4M

5 My estimated cost for an assignment such as this is between $15,000 and $20, 000, plus taxes and out of pocket expenses, probably towards the higher end for this assignment, including work done to date. That effort would include drafting and placing advertising; directly seeking out candidates; receiving and reviewing applications; analysing them and recommending a shortlist; meeting with Council s Selection Committee (no more than four including the Mayor) to select candidates for interviews; preparing and conducting interviews with candidates in conjunction with the Committee; acting as Clerk for those closed meetings of the Committee; preparing and conducting second interviews along with the Committee; checking references; negotiating an employment agreement with the preferred candidate, as per guidance received, for acceptance by council; and presenting the preferred candidate to a full Council interview prior to appointment. If you have any questions on the above please feel free to contact me at bellchamber@sympatico.ca or N.G. Bellchamber& Associates, 35 Ambleside Dr., London ON, N6G 4M

6 surplus to their requirements. b. The Treasurer shall be responsible for ascertaining if the items can be of use to another department rather than disposed of. c. Items that are not claimed for use by another department may be offered for sealed bids, public auction or other public sale, depending in the opinion of the Treasurer on which method is most suitable for the equipment or material involved. d. The revenue from the sale of obsolete material shall be credited to the appropriate account. Goods and Services Not Subject to this By-law 1. Petty Cash Items 2. Training and Education including: a. Conferences b. Courses c. Conventions d. Magazines e. Memberships f. Periodicals g. Seminars h. Staff Development i. Staff Workshops j. Staff Relations 3. Refundable Employees Expenses including: a. Cash advances b. Meal allowances c. Travel expenses d. Accommodation 4. Employer s General Expenses including: a. Payroll deduction remittances b. Medicals c. Insurance premiums d. Tax remittances The Corporation of the Township of Muskoka Lakes TOWNSHIP POLICY C-CAO-13 Page 15 of 17

7 5. Licences, certificates and other approval required. 6. Ongoing maintenance for existing computer hardware and software. 7. The following Professional and Special Services: a. Additional non-recurring Accounting and Auditing Services b. Outside Counsel c. Banking Services where covered by agreements d. Public Debenture Sales e. Group Benefits f. Realty Services regarding the Lease, Acquisition, Demolition, Sale of Land and Appraisal of Land g. Non-Recurring Risk Management and Insurance Consultant 8. Real Property acquisitions DEFINITIONS: In this policy, unless a contrary intention appears, 1. standing supplier arrangement means a contract under which The Corporation of the Township of Muskoka Lakes may purchase goods and/or services which will be required on an ongoing basis but where the exact types or quantities of goods and services required may not be precisely known or the time period during which the goods and services are to be delivered may not be precisely determined; 2. goods and/or services includes services, supplies, materials and equipment of every kind The Township of Muskoka Lakes may require to carry out the operations of The Township of Muskoka Lakes; 3. irregular result is when any of the following has occurred or is likely to occur: a. all potential suppliers in a procurement procedure have submitted noncompliant tenders, quotations or proposals; b. the lowest compliant quotation, tender or proposal exceeds the estimated cost or budget allocation; c. for any reason the award of the contract to or the purchase from the lowest compliant potential supplier is procedurally inappropriate or not in the best interests of The Township of Muskoka Lakes; or d. the specifications of a request for quotation, invitation to tender or request for proposal cannot be met by potential suppliers; 4. invitation to tender means an invitation made either generally or to selected potential suppliers to submit a tender for the goods and/or services specified in the tender documentation; The Corporation of the Township of Muskoka Lakes TOWNSHIP POLICY C-CAO-13 Page 16 of 17