Watertown hires search firm to look for city manager (Audio)

July 6, 2020
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.—The Watertown City Council has settled on a Minnesota firm to help them search for a city manager.

The council on Monday night unanimously approved a $22,000 contract with DDA Human Resources Incorporated of St. Bonifacius, Minnesota.

DDA’s Liza Donabauer laid out the search timeline that will first involve assembling a list of about a dozen semi-finalists….

That will all happen by October. Then in November, Donabauer says the city council will select up to a half-dozen finalists for more interviews.

Councilman Adam Lalim wanted to know why the “finalist pool” would be that large….

DDA Human Resources was selected over eight other firms that applied for the job. 

In June of 2019, Watertown voters overwhelmingly approved a city manager-led form of government that will also reduce the number of council members from ten to six, plus the mayor.