Travis County Commissioners Court
February 19, 2008
Item 5
>> number five is to consider and to appropriate action on proposed interview schedule and process for executive manager of planning and budget.
>> you should have two documents in front of you. One is the letter from me providing an overview of the current schedule for reviewing candidates along with e-mail from the executive recruiter proposing a little more detail, essentially the intent of the item to share this information with you to make sure that you're comfortable with it for you to make any changes you wish. And we are currently in the execution mode. You should be receiving 10, 11, resumes by Thursday, February 28. In anticipation of an executive session work session on Thursday March 6. The selection committee composed of the judge and Commissionerer eckhardt will be meeting in the morning of March 6 with the executive recruiter who will be arriving the night before with the selection committee. It is anticipated that they will be able to recommend a group of three to five candidates for the court to the review and either adopt or modify to for interviews. The court would review the recommendations and come to a decision on how many to interview. In anticipation there would be up to five to interview, the recruiter has provided with you a hypothetical schedule for interviews over a two-day period on March 27 and 28, the if first day having community orientation tours the along with interviews with appointed officials, executive managers, and second day having interviews with the blapping and budget office staff and the Commissioners court, an opportunity for each candidate to respond is to two different hypothetical circumstances have been provided where the hypotheticals would be provided to the candidate and an hour and a half later they would be asked to produce for your review their answers to these situations that are not so hypothetical, as you can see I have had an opportunity to review the resumes. Am extraordinarily pleeseed with the candidates. There will not and problem with selection. There is a problem of riches. Good, good, solid candidates from around the country who have applied with what appears to be outstanding background. I don't think there will be any question but you will find a good executive manager for planning and budget. That's the schedule. We didn't want to the go forward without your review and approva.
>> what the subcommittee of the court should do is to look at the number short list provided by the consultant. We think that will be around ten or eleven. And recommend to the Commissioners court three to five 20 interview --to interview I assuming we will be able to rather easily separate out the ones that we think we ought to consider, the two of us, because I think that we ought to allow ourselves at least about an hour a piece. No way to know whether that number will be three or five in shance--in advance. When we have a chance to look at the resumes and see the professional consultant's recommendations and I guess get recommendations from you and leroy, the pbo staff will not have gotten involved that much by the time of the work session, right?
>> that's correct.
>> because they will interview the second short listed candidates after we choose them.
>> that's correct. We'll be glad to provide the selection committee on our recommendations on which candidates to interview. The recruiter is recommending that you interview five in order to provide a diverse array of options for you. And they will all bring different strengths and experiences to the table. My guess is that the decision will be one of fit, not capability.
>> . If we do five, that the almost a whole day for us. If we include the discussion time, the interviews, then maybe post interview discussion, some discussion about how to proceed after the last interview. Typically we would check with references after we have gotten down to one or two, right?
>> reference checks have already been made on each candidate. There have been preliminary news media checks. There have been self disclosure of personal data already. After the selection of the candidates there will be further reference checks along with additional criminal and credit checks and other background checks. If you are able to go from five to one with a clear conclusion, that would be certainly efficient. There is an expectation that you may come down to wanting to have a second round of interviews from five to bring it down to the top two. In which case they may, you may wish to bring them back, in which case that decision would be made then in early April. But speed is of the essence because the best candidates find jobs. We're still in a timely fashion right now. But the wronger it takes, the more people will say, thanks very much but I知 now in tucson or detroit or wherever.
>> this is a fairly extensive selection process. So the question is whether we commit to adopt the process really recommended by our professional consultant.
>> that's correct.
>> judge, as part of that is opting the 27th and 28th as cev --definite days to do?
>> that's what we have in mind.
>> the if t I need to make a change on the 27th is the usual day for the city county subcommittee.
>> there would be no meetings for you on the 27th.
>> I know, but the city county sub committee meets that day. If that's the day, I need to make a change.
>> Commissioner, you would not have to make that change is what I知 saying.
>> just subcommittee, the two member?
>> the court gets involved on the 28th. The pbo staff, other executive managers and county officials get involved 2thproposed schedule is for court--
>> proposed schedule is for, if you have five candidates, an hour for each one starting at nine o'clock on the 28th have lunch and finish at three o'clock between three and 3:30 receive feedback from executive managers and appointed officials. From 3:30 to 4:00, feedback from pbo staff, and four to five, conclusion as to who the cop canned--top candidates would be.
>> for us it's really March 6. If we have to do without one member, March 6 is the day I think all five of us really need to participate if in interviews on the 28th.
>> I値l go ahead and block those out.
>> March 6, in my view, 30-45 minute will be how long it takes. Commissioner eckhardt and I will make a recommendation to the court. It's really about how many of the ten or eleven do we schedule later on. The interviews themselves on March 28.
>> that's correct.
>> March 6 is a work session. Would be one item. Probably three that day.
>> judge, you have agreed to have that be a voting session at the end of the review the top ten you can actually make a vote on which five because then they can come back on the 28th.
>> voting session for this item.
>> that's correct.
>> if that's convenient for everybody, I move approvalthe.
>> the work session is at 1:30.
>> you will get the resumes in your office by Thursday, February 28.
>> probably we'll post this and try to take this item up first at 1:30 in executive session.
>> okay.
>> that way we can take whatever time we need. Once we get it done, the rest remember in open court work session.
>> then I also need to mark out the 28th of February.
>> of March.
>> March 6 and March 28.
>> I知 one month late.
>> those dates work for you?
>> I know March 6.
>> okay.
>> something I have to deal with in the morning though.
>> okay.
>> looking at starting at 1:30 now. But we'll just go ahead and move forward and I値l check on March 28.
>> if we have to miss a member of the court, March 6 is better than March 28. The interviews, I think, we should try to have everybody.
>> that's correct. March 28 is very critical that all five members be there for the benefit of both the court and the candidates.
>> March 28 is acceptable.
>> buffer--perfect.
>> seconded by Commissioner Gomez. All in favor. Thank you.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:09 PM