Kalispell city manager job offered to Ohio woman

Dayton, Ohio, Assistant City Manager Jane Howington is being offered the job as Kalispell's new city manager.

In a special meeting Monday night, the city council overwhelmingly agreed on moving forward with contract negotiations with Howington after a contract deal fell through last Thursday with former Kokomo, Ind., Mayor Matt McKillip.

The original council vote was 5-4 to offer the job to McKillip, with five favoring McKillip and four voting for Howington. All council members felt both candidates had strong qualifications.

"It was very close," council member Wayne Saverud said Monday night. "I don't think it's a second choice. It's our first choice all over again."

Mayor Pam Kennedy told the council that McKillip had high regard for the community and the selection process, but could not agree to the shorter term of contract that the city offered. He had wanted a minimum contract of five years in order to provide stability for his family.

In the meantime, she said, Lewiston, Idaho, city manager John "Jay" Krauss let the city know that he is no longer interested in the position.

That left Howington, Joseph Frei, a former city administrator in Columbus, Neb., and Edwin Meece, Livingston's city manager.

Council member Randy Kenyon got the ball rolling at Monday's special meeting called to discuss the next step in the city manager hiring process. The council had prioritized the top three in its initial discussions, he pointed out, and could save time and trouble by going with what had been a clear choice between the top two candidates.

Council member Jim Atkinson agreed with the decision to work with Howington.

"I think we already made our choice," Atkinson said. "It was almost a majority. We already showed interest in Mrs. Howington."

The council questioned whether she would take the job for the $100,000 salary offered to McKillip, plus benefits. It is within the $90,000 to $125,000 salary range advertised for the position, but well below her current pay.

Council member Bob Hafferman cautioned that going above that level could cause problems in gaining the support of the community while the city goes through some of its toughest budget problems in years.

A committee of Kennedy, Council President Duane Larson and Interim City Manager Myrt Webb will conduct negotiations with Howington - discussing retirement, health insurance, car allowance and other benefits. They hope to come back with an agreement within a couple days, Kennedy said.