Oak Ridge Council narrows field of city manager search firms to 3

Donna Smith, Oakridger
·2 min read

And then there were three.

On Monday, Oak Ridge City Council narrowed the field of seven companies that have applied to search for the city's new manager to three.

The three, their main locations and the amounts they quoted in their previously submitted proposals are:

  • GovHR USA, Northbrook, Illinois, $23,500

  • BakerTilly US, Plano, Texas, $26,950

  • Strategic Government Resources, Kellar, Texas, $24,900.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said the full council met early Monday morning in the Municipal Building training room for approximately 45 minutes and chose the three out of the field of seven that had submitted proposals to council, including their prices ranging from $8,000 to $50,000. The seven companies' representatives gave 15-minute online presentations to council on Feb. 27.

Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Christine Michaels, Oak Ridge City Council member Ellen Smith and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson talk after an Oak Ridge City Council meeting.
Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Christine Michaels, Oak Ridge City Council member Ellen Smith and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson talk after an Oak Ridge City Council meeting.

Gooch said the three will now be invited to meet with council during its next work session on March 21, whether in person or online, the applicants' choice. They will be given 30 minutes each.

A special council meeting will be called for March 22 for the council to select its top search firm.

Gooch said the seven council members talked about why they were choosing the applicants they did and then voted. He said it took only one vote for them to select the three finalists, with GovHR USA getting seven votes, followed by BakerTilly and Strategic Government Resources with five each. BridgeGroup LLC management consultants, a strategic partner for Mercer Group Associates received four, he said.

Mercer Group Associates, formerly called The Mercer Group, was the company behind the search and subsequent council hiring of Mark Watson for city manager and former Oak Ridge Police Chief James "Jim" Akagi.

Watson has served as city manager in Oak Ridge for more than 12 years. He is retiring; his final day is May 5.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed. Support The Oak Ridger by subscribing. Offers available at https://subscribe.oakridger.com/offers.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge Council narrows field of city manager search firms to 3