By Amira Van Leeuwen
KYLE — The Kyle City Council unanimously agreed to issue a request for proposals for professional services to assist in the selection and recruitment of the city manager during its meeting on Sept. 20.
Cities sometimes issue an RFP to assist in searching for a city manager. Another common route would be to publish a job notice and let individuals apply for the position that way.
Mayor Travis Mitchell preferred allowing firms to assist in the recruiting of the city manager. City council member Daniela Parsley agreed.
“I think engaging a firm will be the best way to go,” Parsley said. “I think it will be great to have a city manager within six months and no later than that. The faster we can and pick the right person, the better.”
Council member Michael Tobias thought selecting a firm would be the best direction to go in.
However, Yvonne Flores-Cale wondered if the city could do an RFQ (Request for Qualification) Services rather than an RFP.
“From what I understand, RFQ is limited to professional services such as engineering and architecture. There’s [a] state law that protects them, that says they don’t have to provide prices; they only have to provide qualifications,” assistant city manager Amber Lewis explained. “All other professional services have to be a request for proposals which includes price, and it provides the opportunity for you to consider their qualifications and price.”
The city council is slated to make a selection at the second meeting in October.
“I think we can have the [RFP] out for three to four weeks and have a quick turnaround,” Lewis continued. “We can have the committee review [and] bring back the top two to be interviewed by the city council.”
Mitchell agreed that the city council should have the opportunity to interview the firms and ask questions about their method before making the final decision.
