Kalispell negotiating for new city manager

Kalispell officials held a telephone conference call Monday afternoon with one of the three finalists for the city manager job to start negotiations for a contract.

Charles Harball, city attorney and interim city manager, said no formal announcement will be made about a hire until negotiations are complete and a signed contract is returned to the city.

That’s likely to be today at the earliest.

“There are a quite a number of terms to hammer out,” Harball said of the negotiations.

Those terms include base pay, transportation pay and reimbursement for moving expenses.

Kalispell advertised the city manager job offering a salary of $95,000 to $125,000 a year, depending on experience.

Three finalists are in the running for the job: Doug Russell of Yankton, S.D.; Tom Steele of Pleasant Grove, Utah; and John Sutherland Jr. of Santa Fe, N.M.

All three were in Kalispell last week to tour the city, meet with staff and interview for the job.

The Kalispell City Council met in closed session on Friday to rank the three finalists for the job and determine which, if any, of the finalists should be offered the job.

The city is working to fill a vacancy left by former City Manager Jane Howington, who resigned in January to take an identical job in Newport, R.I.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.