East Grand Forks council members recognize City Administrator David Murphy

Meghan Arbegast, Grand Forks Herald
Updated ·3 min read

Apr. 18—EAST GRAND FORKS — Members of the East Grand Forks City Council thanked

City Administrator David Murphy

for a final time during a regularly scheduled meeting on April 18.

Murphy's last day as city administrator is Friday, April 21.

Murphy, who became city administrator in September 2013, has accepted the city administrator position in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

During the meeting, Mayor Steve Gander presented Murphy with a plaque and described working with him as a "pleasure and privilege."

Gander also thanked Murphy for his service with the city and the connections he has had with department heads, council members, community members and counterparts in Grand Forks

"It's been a really good team effort working with you and under you as our city administrator," Gander said.

Murphy expressed his gratitude to the council members, noting that the decision to leave was a tough one.

"I really have enjoyed my time here and I will say as far as council members and councils, this has been a real treat and a real pleasure working with you," Murphy said. "... You're probably with the best council I have ever worked with. I appreciate everything you guys have done for me."

During the council member comment portion of the meeting, several wished Murphy well in his new position.

Following the comments, council members approved the process to move forward with the city administrator search with

David Drown Associates

. The council last month approved working with the agency.

While the information gathering process for developing the position profile has taken place over the past few weeks, next steps will include candidate recruitment and interviews with David Drown Associates outlining July as the projected start date for the new city administrator.

Last month, the council approved appointing City Clerk Megan Nelson as

interim city administrator

while the search for the full-time administrator is underway.

Also Tuesday, Gander declared a local emergency for flooding, with the council approving an extension.

Gander, along with Fire Chief Jeff Boushee, said declaring a local emergency ensures the city is able to make emergency purchases or contract work if needed for flood efforts. It also helps the city request state aid and county aid.

"I just want to reiterate that we feel we're in good shape," Boushee said. "We're pretty fortunate with our levy system."

In other news Tuesday, council members:

* Adopted the 2023 Polk County Hazard Mitigation Plan, which will keep the city eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants.

* Approved a Junior Firefighter Academy Program that will be a working partnership between the city and Northland Community and Technical College. The program will be available to students in grades 11-12 who are exploring a career as a firefighter. As the program will be instructed by off-duty firefighters, the cost of overtime is estimated at $1,500. The cost will be covered by the current 2023 budget for the Fire Department.

* Approved creating a police recruit program with the city's Police Department to address staffing shortages in the department.

* Moved to table an agenda item to hire an accounting technician as the city currently works on the 2024 budget by determining what services and positions could be combined. The last day of the current city accounting technician, Audrey Passa, will be May 12.