by Ivan Foley
Landmark editor
Though it may not be moving as quickly as initially desired or hoped for, members of the Platte County Regional Sewer District Board of Trustees say the search for a new executive director is well underway.
Chuck Reineke, former executive director, resigned the post in mid-March. Reineke’s resignation came a few days after he had been placed on paid administrative leave via a 3-1 vote by the board. Board members Deb Hammond, Jim Plunkett and Aaron Jung had voted to place Reineke on paid leave. Valerie McCaw voted against, and board chairman Lewis Sanders was absent.
Last week, an advertisement for the position appeared in The Landmark and at plattecountylandmark.com, and the ad appears again in this issue. The district has already received a number of resumes and the search committee will be meeting this week to review the resumes received to this point “and hopefully will be setting up interviews within the next seven to ten days for those candidates we believe could serve our ratepayers well,” said PCRSD board member Deb Hammond, who along with board member Aaron Jung, serves on the search committee.
Hammond said that at least six resumes have already been received.
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At last week’s regular meeting of the board, Hammond spoke of some concerns she had about factors that could affect the district’s ability to attract candidates for the position. One of her concerns (see separate story) dealt with having the district books audited into March to reflect the time Reineke left the district.
Hammond said that in visiting with potential recruiting firms, she has discovered that the “reputation of the sewer district means it’s not going to be easy” to find a new executive director “until we do some housecleaning.”
She did not get specific about what “housekeeping” would be needed.
Back on the topic of the search, Hammond asked for guidance and direction from the board.
Jung asked if a timeline needed to be established for finding a replacement candidate.
“My concern in that is we might cut ourselves short,” Hammond said.
Valerie McCaw, board member, voiced opposition to hiring a firm to help recruit a new executive director.
“I’m not inclined to pay a recruiting firm. I propose we wait 30 days to see what kind of applicants we get.”
Jung suggested by the next regular board meeting the applicants could be “culled” and interviews could be set up.
Lewis Sanders, chairman of the board, said: “We could give it two weeks to see if we’re getting where we need to be. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a recruiting firm.”
Hammond initially asked the board to commit $1,500 to the search for a new director. After discussion, McCaw made a motion to budget $1,000 for the initial search. That motion was passed 4-0-1 with Hammond abstaining.
The district’s advertisement for the position says the ideal candidate “will possess a bachelor of science degree in engineering and/or a bachelor of arts degree in business management or related field from an accredited institution for higher learning. Candidates must have a minimum of seven years recent experience in the wastewater treatment field including extensive knowledge of the regulatory environment and legislative environment/processes that affect the wastewater treatment industry. Ten to 15 years of recent experience in wastewater management will be considered in lieu of the degree requirement. Salary and benefit package will be determined by the qualifications of the candidate.” |
