STEUBENVILLE — Just about six weeks from now, city officials plan to officially begin the search for Steubenville’s next city manager.

In the meantime, the five-member committee tasked with deciding how and where to advertise the upcoming vacancy and making sure applicants who make the initial cut actually do have the experience and skills they claim to possess will be figuring out the mechanics of the job search — like whether to invite prospects to submit resumes or ask them to fill out applications; what to ask on applications; what salary range council wants to advertise.

Committee members and council as a whole say time is of the essence: City Manager Jim Mavromatis has told council he plans to retire in mid-March after 10 years at the helm. To make the transition easier, they’re hoping the new hire will be able to start work just after the new year so he or she can familiarize themselves with the community and its operations.

It’s city council as a whole, not the search committee, that will make the selection.

“That gives us an overlap to where there could be a smoothe transition between the two of them and for the city,” Councilman at large Joel Walker, who heads the committee, said. “We can have the two of them — the new city manager and (Mavromatis) work together for three months … that way Mr. Mavromatis could show the new city manager around, introduce them to people and everything else.”

Also serving on the committee are Councilmen Dave Albaugh and Ted Goreman, and two community leaders — Ame Taggart, a business consultant active in the Ohio Valley Business & Professional Women’s Club, and the Rev. Jason Elliott of First Westminster Church.

During a search committee meeting Tuesday, open to the public, discussion keyed on the mechanics of the search process — things like whether to invite prospects to submit resumes or have them fill out applications, the qualifications, where and when to start advertising the vacancy as well as the deadline to apply.

“This committee, we’re the ones who are going to go through the resumes and make sure that the people that are applying meet all the qualifications we’re looking for,” Walker said. “We’ll call their reference and (look at) everything else because I was working for the city when (a past council) hired a city manager that was getting ready to be fired (from his previous job) without checking his references or anything else. I think he lasted eight or nine months here and they got rid of him.”

When Taggart asked if a proposed charter change on the November general election ballot that would allow city council to choose as city manager an applicant with the abilities but no college degree was going to come into play, Walker told her they’ll have to follow the guidelines currently in the charter.

“The qualifications are what’s listed in the charter (now),” he said. “We can just go straight to the way they’re written or … we can make them stronger, but we cannot make them any weaker than what the charter says.”

Elliott also suggested consulting Ohio City Manager Association representatives for guidance during the search, saying, “I think it’s super smart to reach out to that group” for advice.

To get things moving, Taggart volunteered to put together timeline she’ll present to council on or before the June 24 meeting for review, then discuss it at their July 1 meeting.

Mayor Jerry Barilla asked council if their preference would be to hire someone from within the community, rather than bring someone in who would view Steubenville as a stepping stone.

“Our goal is to get the best person for the position,” Walker said. “If there’s someone local, that’s fine.”

“That’s why you look at somebody local,” Barilla said. “Sometimes if come in, they’re looking at it as a stepping stone.

“I’m okay with somebody local but if somebody meets the qualifications and can come in with a more progressive insight into how to run the city, I’m okay with that as well,” Councilwoman Heather Hoover said.

“I don’t mind someone using us as a stepping stone,” Councilman Royal Mayo said. “If somebody would come in and work hard, then get offered a job for three-times what we pay I look at that as a win–that means they’ve done good things for us … Nobody’s going to take them away if if they don’t do great things for us.”