Kalispell manager pick bows out

The Daily Inter Lake

Kalispell's top pick for a new city manager has declined to take the job.

Former Kokomo, Ind., Mayor Matt McKillip and Kalispell officials were unable to reach an agreement because McKillip wanted at least a five-year contract, Kalispell Mayor Pam Kennedy said Friday.

That's longer than the city was willing to go. Kennedy said manager contracts typically start at two or three years with one-year renewals.

"It was the lack of assuredness for a long-term commitment. He wanted some type of commitment for [up to] 10 years, and in city government we just can't guarantee that," she said.

McKillip and his wife are raising young children and are looking for a place they can grow up and stay settled.

McKillip said he told Kalispell officials early on that "if they wanted someone for the short term, I wasn't the one."

The City Council will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall to discuss options.

For more on this story, read Saturday's Daily Inter Lake.