All right, it's four o'clock on June 2nd.

This is a special meeting of the Board of City Commissioners.

We'll call the meeting to order.

Call roll.

Commissioner Remish?

Here.

Commissioner Zenker.

Here.

Here.

Commissioner McCready.

Here.

First item on the agenda is public comment.

Is there anyone who wish to speak public comment?

I don't see anyone.

We should take it so this would be a couple of buttons.

Is there any uh buddy in the hallway?

Okay.

I'm gonna hold some public comment period.

We have Jen item B is uh city administrator would like us to consider the hire of a new finance director.

So Jason.

Good afternoon, commissioners.

Um you'll indulge me just a little bit.

I'll give you a brief summary of our process.

Looking back to November 7th of 2025, we found ourselves without a permanent finance director.

Um, in that time that our existing compontroller act as the interim finance director, and I think you would all agree that Eric has done a tremendous job carrying the load, especially embarking through the annual audit.

And now here we are in the throes of our budget season.

And he and the team on third floor have done a great job giving us the information that we need to come forward with that recommendation in the near future.

Uh that said, we actually went through three separate processes to get to this point today.

The first two times we uh cast the net looking for applicants.

Frankly, we just didn't receive the inqualified individuals that we were looking for.

Uh we started around the holiday season at the end of 25, which may have played into this a little bit, but uh over the course of three separate processes, we had 16 qualified individuals that we evaluated in one way or another.

Uh in this final process, we ended up with five individuals that made it through the initial screen process, meaning they uh came with the credentials necessary to uh be considered for the position.

One of those individuals withdrew uh very early in the process, citing that uh their skill set is likely not what we were looking for.

So recognizing that they probably didn't have the credentials to get all the way through.

Uh so the four that we did work through the process were all subject to uh an initial scored series of questions, uh, just getting some general background information about them.

Uh, we did a teams interview with all the applicants initially to talk about the job and describe some of the expectations, some of the requirements of the position, but then also to ask some of those general uh get to know you questions that uh afforded them the opportunity to expand and expound on some of the written material that they had provided from there.

Uh each of the applicants was required to complete the accomplishment survey, which is a question series of questions that asked them to describe uh situation where they were in a leadership position, they were in a integrity situation, they were budget development situation.

Uh, from there, those responses were scored and evaluated uh by a series of individuals who are in the profession of government finance.

Uh, following that became the uh general management in basket test, and of course the face-to-face interview.

The face-to-face interview was conducted last week, Friday.

That committee, the selection committee that will ultimately provide the recommendation was composed of Schmitz, uh, Commissioner Cleary, Kathy Feist, who is the finance director for the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, and uh Leanne Schmidt, our HR director, and myself.

And based on all of that work and all of those scores and evaluations and tests and everything coming forward, I am here to uh recommend on behalf of the selection committee the name of Ryan's score.

Uh Ryan would come to us with an MBA, a master's of business administration.

He is a certified public accountant.

Uh he's got approximately 20 years of professional experience.

More than 13 of those years would be spent in government finance.

Uh previously spent nearly 10 years in the state treasurer's office and then spent uh three plus years in the retirement and investment office also with the state.

Uh currently he is employed in the private sector and has been there for about a year.

Uh would come to us with a great deal of experience with legislative reporting and uh budget development there as well as presentations.

Uh Leanne requested his uh publicly available personnel file and all the reports from uh past evaluations and previous leaders in very high regard.

A lot of enthusiasm.

Uh he would demonstrate or did demonstrate uh successive roles in leadership throughout his time at the treasurer's office.

Yeah, as far as pretty dynamic changes as the state treasurer uh changed during his time there.

So just in speaking with him and evaluating his credentials and his professional experiences.

Um, I kind of joked with him.

I said, where were you the first two times we did this?

Because he he would come to us with uh very high level of skills and competency, but then also recognizing the work that Eric and Paige have done to keep the finance team moving forward and continuing to work as a team.

Um I think we would welcome him here, knowing he's got a good stable group of people around him that know their roles and would work well uh with him as a leader.

So with that, I offered the recommendation.

Uh the salary uh is certainly part of this discussion.

Uh the salary range was posted uh between 150 and 175,000.

Uh we have made the offer to uh employ him at 160,000 based on background checks and drug screens and all the other things that an employee would have to go through.

Um, so that is the recommendation from the selection committee.

I certainly don't want to speak for Commissioner Cleary or Mayor Schmitz.

They were part of this as well.

Um I'm happy to answer any questions.

I I felt really good about him.

He certainly came up all the credentials and he's helped put together the real financial statements or their combined consolidated financial statements, uh government term we could get into, but used to be the paraphernalia, but it's not called the capper anymore.

But basically, what our statements would look like he put together for real already or is overseeing that.

So that was kind of critical to me, knowing that we had somebody who could help our team manage that so we weren't relying on that's outside services to accomplish that.

He interviewed very well.

Yes, will he be okay with the 160?

If you mentioned the number, uh yes, uh Commissioner Rish, Mayor and Commissioners.

Uh, when Leanne and I spoke with him uh yesterday, uh we did disclose that that would be the salary he indicated he would be comfortable with that range because it was in the middle of the hiring range and it would uh uh it was something that he was comfortable without any negotiation.

I'll make a motion to approve his presenter.

Sorry, any further discussion?

Yeah, I just want to compliment Eric and the finance team and whatever it's not easy to put on that half be the intern get us through there.

So I appreciate that.

But kudos again to your team because I just want to echo what Jason says.

It's sometimes you don't have leadership.

It's kind of tough road to travel, but you guys managed very well.

So my compliments to the team.

They did a great job and are still doing a great job.

Appreciate everything you've done.

But we do have a motion, a second, any other discussion.

Yes, yes, yes.

Yes, yes, motion carries meeting is adjourned.

Again, page and air, thank you for everything you've been doing.

I know you've had to step up on it's very much appreciated.

Let's start with yes, we forgot to mention that.

Sorry, he goes work on the detoon.

That's all we have for here.