Assistant City Manager — City of Manhattan, Kansas

City Hall

M ANHATTAN , K ANSAS One of the Top Ten Fastest Growing MSAs in the U.S.

This position offers an exciting opportunity

The City of Manhattan, Kansas, invites your interest in the position of

for an energetic professional to contribute as a key member of the City’s management team. The position performs highly responsible administrative work related to a

Assistant City Manager

wide range of municipal functions within a full service City.

Fire Stations No. 5 and No. 3 opened in 2012 to provide better service in growth areas.

The City of Manhattan is seeking a motivated, organized, hard-working professional to serve as a key member of the City’s management team. The Assistant City Manager performs highly responsible administrative work related to a wide range of municipal functions, under the general direction of the City Manager and the Deputy City Manager, in a full service City. Manhattan is home to Kansas State University and adjacent to the Fort Riley Military Installation in the beautiful Flint Hills of northeast Kansas, 120 miles west of Kansas City.

ABOUT THE GOVERNING BODY The governing and legislative body of the City is the City Commission, comprised of five Commissioners who are elected at-large on a non-partisan basis. The Commission determines all matters of policy, approves all City ordinances and resolutions, and adopts the annual City Budget and Capital Improvement Program. Every April, the Commission elects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor presides over Commission meetings and has full voting rights—as do other Commissioners—but has no veto power. Elections are held every other year in odd-numbered years. Three City Commission positions are chosen at each election. The two highest vote recipients receive four-year terms while the third highest vote recipient receives a two year term.

2014 Manhattan City Commission

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE / POSITION REQUIREMENTS The successful candidate will have extensive knowledge of the principles, concepts, theories, and practices of public administration and management; public policy research, development, and implementation; community relations; and governmental finance and budgeting, including budget preparation, development, fiscal control, and capital project financing. Additionally, knowledge is required of community planning objectives; economic development principles; municipal infrastructure systems; state and federal funding agencies; city, state, and federal legislative processes; collective bargaining processes; media relations; and contract and grant administration. Excellent written and oral communication skills, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills – to include establishing and maintaining productive working relationships with elected officials, community representatives, consultants, other governmental agencies, peers, supervisors, and subordinates – are imperative.

The Assistant City Manager performs highly responsible administrative work related to a wide range of municipal functions under the general direction of the City Manager. Reporting directly to the Deputy City Manager, he or she is responsible for complex managerial duties required to assist with the operations of the City Manager’s Office and the City’s operational departments, including supervision of staff; contributes to the City’s administrative policy development; assists with various projects and economic development activities; coordinates legislative and other intergovernmental activities; represents the City Manager as a liaison to the Riley County Law Board and other boards/committees as assigned; serves as Acting City Manager, assuming full operating authority and responsibility in the absence of the City Manager and/or Deputy City Manager; coordinates assigned projects with Department Heads and City staff; evaluates matters of policy and procedure; and performs other projects and special tasks as assigned.

New Traffic Operations Facility Opened in 2012.

City Park Pool.

Candidates for the Assistant City Manager position must have an MPA degree or equivalent—Master of Public Administration. In addition to the degree requirement, candidates advancing in the recruitment process will have a minimum of 3-5 years experience working in a City Manager or equivalent career track. This requirement is meant to ensure that the person selected for the position will be able to quickly engage with a wide array of high-level duties and responsibilities, to include generating a significant amount of written materials. Excellent written and speaking abilities will be essential for the successful candidate.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY Manhattan is located in Riley County in the heart of northeast Kansas’ scenic Flint Hills.

First settled in 1855, it is home to Kansas State University (23,000+ students) and Fort Riley’s 18,000 soldiers. The Manhattan community encompasses approximately 18 square miles and has a current population of approximately 54,000, not including numerous bedroom communities.

The Larry Norvell Band Shell in City Park Downtown

Sidewalk on Poyntz Avenue

Manhattan, known as the ―Little Apple,‖ is located 120 miles west of Kansas City just off Interstate I-70. The community serves a multi-county, 200,000-population regional area as a leader in education, trade, health care, entertainment, and communication. The area boasts a number of attractions including Tuttle Creek Lake offering 15,000 acres of boating, water-skiing, fishing, and public hunting land; the Konza Prairie Tallgrass Preserve; Marianna Beach Museum of Art located at the corner of the Kansas State University and the historic Aggieville shopping district; world class golf facilities; and a Arts in the Park summer concert series vibrant Manhattan Arts Center. Nearby Fort Riley, founded 1852, is an important regional partner. Fort Riley has long been one of the nation’s largest U.S. Army military installations covering approximately 101,000 acres.

Kansas State University was founded in Manhattan in 1863. K-State, one of the first land-grant colleges, is exemplary of the nation’s land-grant university system. The main University campus extends over 315 acres within Manhattan and was annexed by the City in 1994. As well as being a mix of international cultures, the University offers many educational, recreational and athletic attractions, including the prestigious Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series on Public Issues. The ―K-State Wildcats‖ are members of the Big 12 Bill Snyder Family Stadium West Stadium Expansion Project Athletic Conference and field championship Completed in August 2013. men’s and women’s athletic teams. Manhattan is also home to Manhattan Christian College, a four-year college founded in 1927, which is adjacent to the KSU campus. Manhattan Area Technical College, established in 1965, offers vocational training courses and continuing education for business and industry.

Additional community amenities include excellent public and private education through a public high school (grades 10—12), a ninth grade center, two middle schools (grades 7—8), seven elementary schools (grades K—6) and two parochial schools, one for grades K—12 and one for grades K—8. Health services are offered through Mercy Regional Health Center, the Riley County Health Department, a regional surgical center, and over 100 medical doctors who provide health care services to the community. Over 50 churches, representing thirty-five faiths and denominations, are in Manhattan. Also, the community is the home of the American Institute of Baking and a Federal Job Corps Center.

As for recreation, the community has an abundance of public parks and sports facilities, two 18-hole public golf courses, two public 9-hole courses, and one private golf course. Colbert Hills Golf Course, the first PGA Collegiate course and an Audubon Signature Gold course, opened in the spring of 2000 in partnership with Kansas State University. Area public parks provide countless recreational opportunities to persons of all ages. In addition, the community boasts an exceptional trail system suitable for biking or walking and is accessible to persons with disabilities. The trail is currently over ten miles in length and circles half of the community.

MANHATTAN PLANNING AND PROGRESS The City of Manhattan continues to work in its commitment to sound, progressive, and forward-thinking municipal planning. Education and research at Kansas State University, current home of the Biosecurity Research Institute, and future home of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), supports the nationally critical mission of protecting America’s food supply through animal health research. These facilities are attracting the interest of other technology and bioscience companies to Manhattan’s Rendering of the expanded passenger terminal at Manhattan Regional Airport. high-tech business environment. The Currently Under Construction Kansas Department of Agriculture is relocating to Manhattan, the new facility for which is nearing completion. Construction on NBAF proceeds apace, currently involving the $200 million Central Utility Plant. Manhattan’s economy is robust, with voters strongly supporting renewal of a county-wide half-cent sales tax to be used for economic development, infrastructure, and property tax relief. The private sector is building upon the success of dual downtown redevelopment projects that include the Flint Hills Discovery Center and Blue Earth Plaza on the south, a vibrant downtown, extensive commercial and housing development on the north, a new Sunset Zoo Nature Education Center, and a new, high-tech Traffic engineering and operations facility.

Citizens Boards and Committees

City Commission

City Manager

Deputy City Manager

Finance

Human Resources

Legal Services

City Manager’s Office

Airport

Assistant City Manager

Public Works

Community Development

Fire Services

Parks and Recreation

Infrastructure improvements included an expanded and modernized Water Treatment Plant upgrade; upgrade and expansion of the Waste Water Treatment Plant; water well field expansion; and Firehouses No. 3 and No. 5 to meet growth needs of the City. Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) is expanding capacity and facilities to accommodate the growth of commercial jet service and general aviation. MHK currently has multiple daily flights to hubs at Chicago O’Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth. Manhattan has been named one of the top five ―best small places for business and careers‖ four years running. (Forbes, 2010-2014) Manhattan also is one of the ―ten most exciting small cities in America.‖ (moveto.com) In addition, Kansas State University has been recognized as one of the ―top ten happiest colleges/quality of student life/best town/gown relations.‖ (Princeton Review, 2013)

THE ORGANIZATION AND THE REGION The City of Manhattan government has 9 departments and a wide range of municipal functions, performed by approximately 380 FTE’s. Overall, the City cadre has grown alongside the notable growth of the City itself.

With the expansion of housing and infrastructure, and the extension of services to outlying areas, with the effects of Flint Hills Discovery Center and Blue Earth Plaza NBAF and Fort Riley, the ongoing growth of the commercial private sector, and a dramatically revitalized downtown, the City workforce and support footprint has grown steadily over the last decade. The growth and development mentioned above has resulted in the creation of a regional, cooperative organization, the Flint Hills Regional Council, to coordinate proactive approaches to the challenges, opportunities, marketing, and planning that come with Manhattan becoming a regional nexus. The process has begun, as well, to update the Manhattan Urban Area Comprehensive Plan. Key issues will include revising urban growth boundaries and utility service areas to accommodate urban density growth and to address issues affecting the urban-rural fringe.

Manhattan was recently designated as being its own CSA, Combined Statistical Area, and was recently ranked in the top 5% nationally for economic and job growth (Area Development 2012). Along with regional partners and KDOT, the City established the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization (FHMPO). Regional coordination of transportation issues will be an important challenge for the future.

Old Campus Stadium - Recreational Field and Track and Alumni Center Field Turf - City/University Project

THE SELECTION PROCESS All applicants should visit the City’s web site at www.cityofmhk.com and click on ―Jobs.‖ Navigate to HRePartners via the above described page to access the required online application.

A resume, cover letter, and any other relevant application materials should be sent to:

Cathy Harmes, Director of Human Resources Department of Human Resources 1101 Poyntz Avenue Manhattan, KS 66502 Main Number: (785) 587-2440 Or to harmes@cityofmhk.com Applications will be reviewed in the Department of Human Resources to ensure that applicants meet work experience and education requirements. The Director of Human Resources, working with the City Manager’s staff, will further reduce the number of applications to a list of highly qualified applicants.

Only those applicants determined to be highly qualified will advance in the hiring process. Eventually, a select group of applicants will be asked to participate in an interview and assessment process to be conducted in Manhattan at a date as yet to be determined. During the day-long interview and assessment process, candidates will sit for a formal interview with the City Manager, Director of Human Resources, and other management staff. Each candidate also will engage with a detailed assessment exercise in which he or she will be required to draw from past experience, acquired knowledge, and management principles to develop a response to a hypothetical scenario within a prescribed period of time.