City Manager - City of Farmer City, Illinois
: Job Details :

Farmer City, IL (1,805) — The City of Farmer City is seeking a talented, resourceful, and dedicated leader to serve as its next City Manager. Farmer City is located in DeWitt County in central Illinois and is roughly 30 minutes from the major population centers of Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington-Normal, and Decatur. The most recent City Manager served in that position for seven years and left voluntarily to accept a position in a larger community.

Westward adventurers and settlers began arriving in the area of what is today Farmer City in 1825. Dennis Hurley is believed to be the first white settler in the area. Hurley built a cabin in the area, which became known as Hurley's Grove, with other families settling nearby. Hurley's Grove was located just south of present-day Farmer City. In 1939, the community became part of DeWitt County.

DeWitt County, including Farmer City, was part of the Eighth Judicial District. In the 1850s, a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln traveled to the area many times on his circuit. The area was connected by rail in 1970, increasing the population. The name Farmer City was selected for the community in 1869. In 1870, the official census recorded the population at 1,276. In 1879, Farmer City's business district was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt, but the new business district was also leveled by another fire in 1894. Despite these early catastrophic events, Farmer City endured. The downtown was, once again, rebuilt in the early 1900's and remains intact.

Today, Farmer City is blessed with excellent transportation connections. It is located immediately adjacent to Interstate 74 and is also served by U.S. Route 150 and Illinois Route 54. As its name would suggest, Farmer City is located in the heart of the most productive farmland in the world. The community is home to several successful agricultural-related businesses that employ many residents.

The Municipal Government

The City of Farmer City operates under a Council/Mayor/City Manager form of government. The City's governing board consists of the Mayor, elected at-large to a four-year term, and four City Council Members, each elected at-large to four-year and two-year staggered terms. With the advice and consent of the City Council, the Mayor appoints a City Manager to oversee the day-to-day affairs of the municipal government.

The City has an annual budget of $25 million and employs 18 full-time staff, 4 part-time, and several seasonal workers. The City provides its residents with a full range of services. The operating departments of the City consist of the following:

Administration City Clerk

Electric Finance

Library Parks

Police Streets

Water/Wastewater

A separate Fire Protection District provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the community.

The City of Farmer City operates its own electric utility, which provides electrical power to residents and businesses via the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency. The City's electric crews operate and maintain the power generating plant with 5 backup generators and a system of nearly 400 transformers and more than 1150 poles. The City also operates its own water and wastewater utility. The City also handles the billing for all three utilities.

The City Manager

The City Manager serves as the municipality's chief executive officer and oversees all municipal operations, including hiring and supervising all department directors. The City Manager prepares and administers the annual operating and capital budget that is approved by the City Council and is also responsible for successfully implementing City Council policy decisions and directives.

In Farmer City, the City Manager is also highly involved in economic development activities, grant procurement and administration, communication/public relations, management of the City-owned public utilities, and intergovernmental relations. The person in this position must have a thorough working knowledge of all aspects of municipal government operations.

Required and Desirable Qualifications

The City Council is seeking applicants with a bachelor's degree in public administration, business, planning, economic development, or a related field of study. A master's degree is desirable but not required. Applicants should also have at least four (4) years of professional experience in a leadership position, preferably with a municipality and preferably as a city administrator or assistant city administrator. A master's degree could substitute for some work experience.

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following skills, knowledge, traits, and personal attributes:

• Excellent communicator - Can communicate complex information in a clear, concise, and understandable manner to all people. Has a good sense of when and how to communicate important information to the Mayor, City Council, staff, and residents. Is an effective public speaker with excellent writing skills.
• Relationship builder - Can establish and maintain productive and harmonious working relationships with all community stakeholders, including local elected and appointed officials, state and federal officials, businesses, community organizations, staff, etc.
• Grant experience - Is adept and accomplished at procuring state and federal grants, including preparing effective grant applications and complying with all grant rules and reporting requirements.
• Economic development and project management – Is skilled and experienced in attracting new business investment into the community and has excellent project management skills and abilities.
• Accepts criticism with maturity, objectivity, and professionalism - Does not inappropriately react to negative comments, even when such comments are not fair or justified.
• Objective and analytical - Does not allow personal political or ideological views to influence policy recommendations or decision-making.
• Active, visible, and approachable - Plays an active and visible role in the community beyond what is required by his or her municipal duties. Is accessible and approachable to all members of the public.
• Innovative and creative - An innovative, resourceful, and strategic problem-solver who is always searching for new methods and practices to benefit the citizens of Farmer City.
• Decisive and consistent - Does not hesitate to make professional recommendations on policy matters even when such recommendations are likely to be unpopular among some governing body members or members of the public. Enforces and applies rules, regulations, codes, and policies consistently and without favoritism.
• Excellent listener - Listens carefully and genuinely considers the points of view of others.
• Direct and firm - Can be direct and firm when appropriate. Can deal with conflict directly and effectively. Is able and willing to engage in difficult conversations when necessary.

Compensation and How to Apply

The annual starting salary range for the position is $92,500 to $110,000 DOQ/E. To qualify for the upper end of the range, the candidate must possess most, if not all, of the desirable skills, experience, and traits outlined above. The City of Farmer City will also provide the successful candidate with a generous and comprehensive fringe benefits package. Residency within the municipal corporate limits is encouraged but not required. Please apply online at www.GovHRjobs.com with a resume, cover letter, and contact information for five professional references by October 25, 2024. Confidential inquiries may be directed to Mark Peterson, MGT Approved Independent Executive Recruiter, at Tel: 309-###-####.

The City of Farmer City is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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