Northport Opens National Search For Full-Time City Administrator

NORTHPORT, AL — The Northport City Council moved one step closer to hiring a full-time city administrator on Monday as measures were approved concerning the job description for the open position as well as opting to conduct a nationwide candidate search in the hopes of finding the best fit for the job.

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The position, which is appointed by the City Council, is an important one from a city operations standpoint, as the city administrator acts as the chief administrative officer of the city government, working with the mayor, City Council, department heads, and city staff to develop and implement policies.

Joseph Rose, the city's director of human resources, presented the changes to the proposed job description Monday night after they had been approved by the council's Administrative Committee.

Rose said a bachelor's degree from an accredited university would remain a requirement, while striking language from a 2019 job application specifically asking for a candidate degreed in civil engineering, planning, public administration, business administration or related field.

Previous requirements also called for 10 years of administrative experience in local government, as well as holding a city clerk certification or being able to obtain one in a three-year period. While the city clerk certification is still listed as a requirement in the job description, the minimum years of experience required was lowered from seven to 10 years, to five years.

City Attorney Ron Davis pointed out that the proposed salary levels had also been adjusted, with the new full-time city administrator making $130,000 to $160,000 annually, based on experience.

The previously proposed salary was $125,000-$150,000.

"It will have the usual city benefits, city vehicle and other benefits a city employee would have such as retirement and medical," he said. "It's a full-time, salaried position, but not a civil service position."

The council also unanimously approved to conduct a nationwide search to fill the role, setting March 1 as the closing date for the application window.

"Names will be received by HR by 5 p.m. and we will know how many candidates have applied by that council meeting on March 1," Council President Jeff Hogg said.

Mayor Bobby Herndon told Patch in October that hiring a full-time city administrator would be his top priority once in office, due to the high turnover in the past. The role has been occupied in an interim capacity by former Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Hardy McCollum since August 2019 and the push to fill the position stalled in the last year of the previous mayoral and council administration before November 2020 when three new council members and a new mayor were sworn in.

"I am very happy the process is about to begin," he told Patch following Monday's vote. "In the past four or five years, we've gone through six city administrators and I'm ready to get someone. Hardy has done an awesome job as a fill-in and we're anxious to get somebody. I'm very excited to see what a national search could bring but want to get somebody in here that's fired up and wants to represent Northport."

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