By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
SUAMICO – The same firm that helped hire a new village administrator this year has also been picked to help recruit a full-time fire chief for Suamico.
The Suamico village board voted unanimously Monday, Oct. 7, to approve the fire chief recruitment proposal from the Oshkosh-based Public Administration Associates (PAA) for an amount not to exceed $9,000.
Village Administrator Alex Kaker said PAA submitted the low bid of $10,000 among the seven proposals received.
It was also one of two firms interviewed Sept. 23 by the Fire Commission, which was impressed with PAA’s fire department experience and the firm’s comprehensive approach to the recruitment process, Kaker said.
He said PAA agreed to reduce its proposal amount by $1,000 in the event the village would choose to handle employment contract negotiations in-house.
Kaker said he would expect the cost to be less than $1,000 for the village to handle contract negotiations with its own attorney because Suamico has an outline to use for putting together a contract for a fire chief that would receive a final review from the village’s legal counsel.
Kaker said the money to hire a recruitment consultant for selecting a full-time chief would come from the general fund under government contingencies.
He said additional costs beyond PAA’s fee in the selection of a full-time fire chief could be expected, such as with advertising the position and in the event candidates from out of state are brought in for interviews, similar to the search for a new administrator in Suamico.
Kaker said PAA, which helped in the recruitment process that led up to him being selected this spring as the new administrator following the retirement of Steve Kubacki, would undertake a similar process in the selection of a full-time fire chief.
“It’s exhausting,” Kaker quipped.
However, because Suamico has a Fire Commission to select firefighters independently of the village board, as outlined in state statutes, Kaker said PAA will be working with the commission to help select a full-time chief, while the board would handle the chief’s job description and salary.
The village is now in the process of switching from a part-time to a full-time chief as recommended by a staffing committee to meet future personnel needs for the fire department, for which plans are also in the works to build a new Fire Station No. 1.
The current part-time chief, Troy Noe, has informed the Fire Commission he will not be pursuing the full-time position.
Noe has indicated he will continue to serve as the village fire chief until a new full-time chief is hired and would be interested in remaining with the fire department wherever the new chief would decide is best.
Kaker said a full-time chief could be selected with assistance from PAA to begin the position by Jan. 1.
A letter from PAA President Kevin Brunner to Kaker stated the firm provides a “service guarantee.”
“If for some reason during the first year of employment your new fire chief leaves or doesn’t work out, PAA will come back and conduct the entire recruitment/selection process for free (except for any direct expenses incurred such as advertisements and other costs),” Brunner said in the letter.