Joliet city manager job could be posted this week

Joliet could post want ads for the city manager job this week.

The Joliet City Council last week showed signs that it may be working out its differences over the city manager vacancy.

The council signed off on a job description for city manager with a unanimous vote, and Mayor Bob O'Dekirk appointed an ad hoc committee to review résumés once the they start rolling in.

That could be mid-October, interim City Manager Steve Jones said as he laid out some dates for the next steps in a city manager search that had been fraught with controversy until the last few weeks.

At the Tuesday council meeting, Jones distributed a draft community profile and job profile for the council to review and asked that they provide him with feedback by the end of last week. The profiles will be used in the job notice, which could be posted if the council is satisfied, he said.

“We know you want to move on this,” Jones said to the council. “I certainly want us to move on this.”

Jones does not plan to apply for the job and has told the council he does not want to remain in the interim position for a long period.

The job will be posted for a 30-day period, which could lead to a résumé due date of Oct. 11, he said.

Meanwhile, the council committee to review résumés was appointed without debate.

O'Dekirk, who at the previous council meeting two weeks ago said he would name himself and council members Michael Turk and Jan Quillman to the committee, clarified with staff the procedure needed for its formation.

“Do we need a formal vote on this?” he asked staff. When told they did not, O’Dekirk said, “It’s done.”

The committee will be disbanded when the job is done. The city has not had a regular city manager in place since October, when David Hales left.