Administrator interviews under way

SANDPOINT — Five candidates have been interviewed for the city administrator position, Mayor Carrie Logan said.

Logan said the committee has sorted through lots of qualified applicants and settled down to five. Each candidate was asked a series of 25 questions. Logan said those questions may have led to follow-up questions and dialogue.

Each candidate spent about an hour and a half with the hiring committee. Logan said they are going through background checks currently, and hope to have the candidate or candidates at one of the November council meetings, Nov. 4 or Nov. 18. She said there may be one or more candidates, depending on the committee decision.

“It’s whatever the committee and I decide,” Logan said.

There will be an agenda item during the chosen council meeting for public comment, Logan said, adding the council will consider the comments before making a decision.

“There will be an opportunity of the public as an agenda item, to ask questions,” Logan said. “I don’t know a decision will be made at that meeting. That’s up to the council.”

Logan is part of the committee, as are current council members Shelby Rognstad and Shannon Williamson, and Steven Snedden, former City Council member and local attorney, Will Harrington, the former city attorney, and current Coeur d’Alene City Administrator Jim Hammond.

The selected candidate will make more than $101,868, coming from the general, water and sewer funds. City treasurer Shannon Syth said the money has always been for payroll and benefits. It used to be spent on a penalty the city paid since 1978 for the deficit in the firefighter retirement fund. This year, the fund in almost fully funded, reducing the amount for the city to about 5 percent. These funds will pay for the city administrator, Syth said.