Search for Dallas’ next city manager could accelerate – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas’ hiring timeline for its top job could be about to accelerate.

The city has been without a permanent city manager since May, a position also responsible for recruiting the next Dallas police chief.

Three council members signed a memo Friday, obtained by NBC 5, triggering the 15-member Dallas City Council meeting Monday at 9 a.m.

The goal is to expedite the search for a city manager, many council members believe it has taken too long since the previous city manager. TC Broadnax announced his resignation in February.

The memo was signed by board members Paula Blackmon, Jaynie Schultz and Gay Donnell Willis.

They called the recruitment process “loose and non-transparent” in a joint statement.

“This research has dragged on for nearly a year with little to no clarity on next steps,” the statement said.

Willis spoke with NBC-5 and said Dallas City Hall’s 13,000 employees deserve the sense of stability and direction the council brings by hiring a new city manager.

“It just seemed like we needed to take quicker action,” Willis told NBC 5. “It’s probably one of the most important tasks that a city councilor can be involved in: hiring the CEO of the city.”

The search process for the next city manager started in August.

Acting Mayor Tennell Atkins chairs the committee that has hired a consultant to help with a national search.

Four semifinalist names were made public in mid-November, including current interim Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert.

Atkins said the process of reviewing each semi-finalist is just beginning during Thursday’s committee meeting.

“The committee didn’t say what they thought because we didn’t look at it,” Atkins said Thursday.

Atkins did not respond to calls and text messages about his colleagues’ decision to present the city manager search to the full council four hours before his own committee meeting Monday.

“It’s my understanding that by meeting Monday morning, that could cancel out the afternoon meeting,” Willis said.

The voting agenda calls for the city council to interview four semifinalists, “discuss qualifications and deliberate on the appointment of the city manager.”

“We need to define when that public engagement can happen, do it on time so the public knows and can participate, and then be able to move forward with the finalists and hire them in January,” Willis said.