Amarillo City Council will hold a closed-door executive session meeting on Thursday, April 18th to discuss their ongoing search for a new city manager.

The search is being conducted with the help of consulting firm Baker Tilley. That firm was chosen by the council after a subcommittee of Councilmen Les Simpson and Don Tipps brought Strategic Government Resources, Clear Career Professionals, and Baker Tilley forward as candidates. The contract with Baker Tilley was approved by the council on January 23rd earlier this year.

Since the contract was approved, the process has so far remained mostly outside of the spotlight. However, based on the example timeline included in Baker Tilley’s proposal, the process is likely somewhere in the “comprehensive background checks, academic verifications and reference checks completed for finalists” portion of the search. According to the proposal, “a typical timeline is 100-120 days from project kickoff to extending an offer of employment.”

The search process began after the council approved a separation agreement with former city manager Jared Miller last August. Shortly after the separation agreement, Deputy City Manager Andrew Freeman was promoted to interim city manager. Freeman later stepped down after City Council expressed concerns regarding changes Freeman had attempted to make to the city’s organizational structure. Floyd Hartman now serves as Interim City Manager.

The meeting will take place at 2:00 pm on Thursday, April 18th on the third floor of Amarillo City Hall. The executive session will not be open to the public. The agenda for the meeting can be found at this link.