A City Council committee is set to review the document this week, but hiring the next top boss for the nation’s 9th largest city could take until the holidays.
DALLAS — The city of Dallas is looking for someone with unquestionable integrity, outstanding communication skills and at least 10 years experience leading a comparable organization to be its next city manager, according to a draft hiring document circulated to councilmembers Monday.
The draft document, compiled by search firm Baker Tilly, will serve as an advertisement for the position once the council gives authorization for it to be finalized and officially opens the position to applicants.
The brochure details the Dallas community and the responsibilities of the city manager position, which is the most powerful at Dallas City Hall. The city manager writes the city’s $5 billion budget, oversees the police and fire departments and manages all city employees — including those in charge of building permits and road repair.
“I think it’s one of the biggest, most important decisions we’ve got to make,” said Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins, who chairs the committee tasked with finalizing the search details. “We’ve got to have the captain of the boat, we’ve got to have the general, we’ve got to have someone leading the city. This here is a main priority.”
The draft document outlines nine desired candidate qualities including:
- Unquestionable integrity and ethics
- Visionary leadership
- Outstanding communications skills
- Adaptability and accountability
- Fiscal management expertise
- Community engagement
- Organizational skills
- Workforce planning
- Crisis management
The next city manager must have a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration or a similar field, the draft document said.
“At least ten years of closely related professional experience leading a comparable body and managing a large multi-service organization” is also desired, it said. A master’s degree is preferred but not required.
Atkins said he hopes to receive feedback on the proposed qualifications from councilmembers in the next week and then allow the search firm to open applications for about six weeks before a first evaluation of applicants. He said the formal timeline will be set in the coming days, but expects it could be near the end of the year or the start of 2025 before a final candidate is selected.
“For me it’s not so much of a timeframe, it’s more of making sure we get that right person in the job,” said Councilmember Jesse Moreno, who sits on the committee overseeing the hiring process.
The council may not end up looking far: interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert is widely seen as a top contender for the role, although she has not yet said whether she plans to apply.
The city has authorized a contract of up to $134,375 with Baker Tilly to identify candidates. The company’s proposal indicates it received 30 percent of the fee upfront, will get 30 percent once it finishes identifying quality candidates, 30 percent once on-site interviews with finalists begin and 10 percent once the finalist accepts the job.
The city previously paid severance of $423,246 to former city manager T.C. Broadnax, who is already serving in the same job in Austin.