By WES KAPPELMAN
OSKALOOSA — City Attorney and acting city manager Randy DeGeest and Police Chief Jake McGee met with the Civil Service Commission on Thursday to discuss the search for a new fire chief.
DeGeest said he thinks the process needs to start over and the current candidates need to be contacted to see if they will be interested in re-applying. McGee will lead the planning of the hiring process, a job that former city manager Brian James had been working on.
McGee asked to have two weeks to put together a schedule on the process. McGee also suggested the city use a written test with five to seven questions for the candidates. During the test, three Iowa fire chiefs, a council member and a Civil Service Commission member would interview candidates. McGee said standardized tests are based on bigger cities and may not be relevant to Oskaloosa.
DeGeest said he and the city clerk are going to be busy with the budget and McGee’s preparing of a hiring process and schedule will help.
“We need to make some progress here,” DeGeest said.
The commission set Feb. 5 as the date for a meeting to approve a schedule. McGee said the process needs to be done right.
“It’s going to take some time,” McGee said.
McGee said there probably won’t be a new fire chief until at least the middle of March.
Former Fire Chief Frank Glandon retired from the department on July 1, 2008. The Oskaloosa City Council appointed Fire Capt. Mark Neff to be the acting chief at the next council meeting, and Neff has been the acting chief since.
Glandon retired in July of last year, but had let the city council and city manager know he was resigning in April of 2008.
Herald City Editor Wes Kappelman can be reached by e-mail at news2@oskyherald.com
