hire

Plans to hire a new public works director in International Falls are being restarted.

This after council refused to accept a recommendation from their hiring committee.

Councillor Tim Wegner expressed concern with the cost.

Councillor Walt Buller feels they need to change the job’s qualifications.

“Maybe lower the qualifications and take off the civil engineer’s license part of it,” says Buller.

“I think we would probably get more applications because the pay isn’t civil engineers’ pay that we’re offering.”

The salary offered started at $90,000 a year.

Buller says that is at least $50,000 less than what a civil engineer would earn.

Mayor Drake Dill, who sits on the hiring committee, says they did get three qualified applicants.

“I would just like to add that the decision from the hiring committee was unanimous,” says Dill.

“In that discussion, I think we were very fortunate that ultimately we had three qualified applicants that…two were interviewed.”

Dill says the committee also spent more than 20 hours on the selection process.

The position is now being readvertised.