Lake City City Manager Search: City Council Interview Questions Beginning 1 PM Friday
April 25, 2024 07:30 am | 2 min read
Photo: Pixabay | Columbia County Observer graphic
LAKE CITY, FL –
Friday afternoon, April 26, 2024, the City
Manager candidates will be answering questions
presented to them by the Council members. The
Council members will alternate with questions
prepared by HR Director BillyJo Bible.
Police Chief Butler is first up at 1:00 pm, followed by Assistant County Administrator Rosenthal at 2:00 pm.
It
is common practice that Council members can also
ask their own questions at the conclusion of the
prepared questions.
Ms. Bible developed twelve questions which cover everything from skills and experience to management style, to finance and transitioning into the job.
The
answers are rated on a scale of 0 to 3:
0 = Did not meet expectation
1 = Partially meets expectation
2 = Meets expectation
3 = Exceeds expectation
The
scoring of the answers is followed by Council
member evaluation of presentation skills.
Presentation skill ratings are numerically the same as the question response evaluations: from zero to three.
After the interviews, the interview scoring sheets are tallied with one total for the questions and one for presentation skills.
The City Council does not have to go with the
person with the highest score.
These are the questions:
1. What particular skills or experiences make you the best match to be the City Manager?
2. What aspects of your previous/current position did you find the most professionally challenging?
3. How do you encourage, motivate and develop staff and what ways have you found to promote morale?
4. Tell us about the most difficult management decision you have had to make in the past? How did it work out and what would you have done differently?
5. Tell us about your experience creating, administering, and implementing policies, charter provisions, and ordinances?
6. Please describe your experience with budgeting and financial management?
7. Please describe your experience with strategic planning?
8. With continuing fiscal constraints, what do you believe are the keys to cities managing increased demands for services?
9. How would you establish credibility and build trust with elected officials, department directors, staff, and citizens if hired as the City Manager?
10. What would we learn about you if we contacted citizens from your current and most recent community?
11. From your current vantage point, what do you perceive to the be the opportunities and challenges facing the City of Lake City now and in the future?
12. If you became the new City Manager what do you believe would be your greatest resources to help you transition into the position?
These are the presentation skills:
1. Leadership - personal style appropriate for this position; “big picture” viewpoint.
2. Interpersonal skills - people skills and social intelligence appropriate for the dynamics of the staff and citizens of the City.
3. Oral communications - clear and effective communicator, presents well-organized, logical flow of thoughts and information.
4. Organizational fit - management style and approach compatible with the City’s needs.
These are the questions developed and announced in March. There may be changes.
