Laketown Township is heading back to market with an accelerated search process for a new manager. Trustees discussed a timeline June 11 that could see a candidate selected this summer.
The municipality is still searching for a permanent replacement for Al Meshkin, who retired in January after 35 years in the role. A first search effort saw each of the final two candidates withdraw after being offered the job. Supervisor Steven Ringelberg has been serving as interim manager since Meshkin stepped down.
Search consultant Ryan Cotton of MGT provided the board with a proposed accelerated timeline June 11, though trustees agreed to add a few weeks to the process prior to approval.
Under the revised timeline, the position will be posted in the coming days with an application deadline of July 3. Board members will receive candidate information the day the posting closes, and will select finalists to interview during a regular meeting July 9.
First-round interviews will take place July 14. A second round of interviews, along with candidate tours of the township and a public meet-and-greet, will be held July 21.
“We’ve got one shot to get this right,” Ringelberg said. “We need to get through a process in a reasonable amount of time and we can’t screw it up.”
Prior to addressing the search timeline, the board discussed extending Ringelberg’s tenure as interim manager. Earlier this year, the board appointed him to the position through June 30.
He proposed the board extend his tenure to the earlier of two options — one week after a manager has been hired or Oct. 31.
If the board doesn’t have a manager by Oct. 31, Ringelberg said Laketown will need to work with MGT or another firm to put in place a professional interim manager.
Trustee Mark Timmerman reiterated the board’s appreciation for Ringelberg serving in a dual role.
“We as a board are thankful that Steve has stepped up to the role. He’s done a great job,” he said. “This is not a matter of us wanting to push Steve out the door, we’re just trying to create a sustainable future.”
Board members accepted the proposal and gave Ringelberg a raise for his managerial duties. Ringelberg said the board had no “financial incentive” to replace him at his earlier pay rate.
The board voted to pay him $93,000 — the $110,000 offered to candidates minus his $17,000 pay as supervisor — or $3,576.92 biweekly in January. On June 11, the board voted 4-0, with Ringelberg abstaining, to pay him $119,600 annually, or $4,600 biweekly.
Between the interim manager discussion and setting a timeline for the upcoming search, the board went into a closed session for 30 minutes to discuss “a candidate for an open position at Laketown who has asked for confidentiality.” The closed session was not on the agenda for the meeting. No action was taken afterward and the board continued to the next agenda item.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Laketown Township sets new manager search timeline. What to know
Reporting by Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
