City Manager Position Profile The Community Bemidji, the First City on the Mississippi, is a growing community of 13,000 located in the heart of the lakes and pines region of northern Minnesota. The City of Bemidji provides recreation, retail, educational, medical and government services to the region. Renowned as the home of folk heroes Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Bemidji has long been considered one of Minnesota’s favorite vacation destinations. Lake Bemidji presents a tranquil backdrop for this historically charming community and Lake Bemidji State Park offers areas for swimming, boating, fishing, bird watching, hiking, and camping. Bemidji is situated on the western edge of the Chippewa National Forest and is surrounded by three state forests that provide abundant wildlife habitat and countless recreation opportunities for all seasons. Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, is located just 30 miles south of the City. The presence of Bemidji State University has played a central role in meeting the educational needs of the regional community and provides cultural opportunities for area residents, visitors and students. “Bemidji Leads!” is a citizen community initiative to inspire and guide community planning. Bemidji and Beltrami County Joint Economic Development Commission is the leader of economic growth and job creation for the area. Bemidji is home to three wood product companies: Potlatch Corporation, a lumber mill with approximately 130 employees; Ainsworth Lumber Co, Ltd., an OSB plant with 250 employees; and Northwoods Lumber Company, a Norbord plant with 141 employees. Other large companies include Nortech Systems, Inc., an electrical equipment manufacturer employing 230 workers, and Johanneson’s Inc., a grocery business with 282 workers. Also located in the City are Northstar Construction Materials and Havenwood Residential Care Center. The City supports an Industrial Park and a Technology Park. Culture and Recreation Cultural venues are plentiful and residents and visitors enjoy a variety of theater, museum, music and art gallery activities. Five summer productions are featured at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse, the oldest continuously running summer theater in Minnesota. The Beltrami County History Center, located in an historic depot, features a collection of American Indian and settlement artifacts and provides research services. Performances by the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, the Bemidji Area Community Band, Bemidji Chorale and the Bemidji Community Theater are well-attended. The Bemidji Sculpture Walk is a popular exhibit. The Community Art Center, Headwaters School of Music and the Arts, and the Headwaters Science Center host a July festival with musical events and a juried Art in the Park event. Concordia Language Villages hosts summer language camps, two International Days and language and arts activities in fall and winter. A multi-day Water Carnival, sponsored by the Bemidji Jaycees, is held over the Fourth of July and draws thousands of participants. The City of Bemidji maintains a system of 19 city parks ranging from neighborhood playgrounds to lakeside beaches. Diamond Point Park is the premier lakeside park located adjacent to the University campus, while Paul Bunyan Park, along the City’s business lakefront, is highlighted by the statues of Paul and Babe. Bemidji City Park has sites for baseball, softball, hockey, ice skating, curling, cross country skiing and disk golf. The Bemidji area boasts more than 500 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, as well as an extensive trail system for skiing and hiking. Golfers will find four challenging courses including 18-hole Turtle River Golf, 18-hole Greenwood, 9-hole Maple Ridge Golf Course and the 18-hole Bemidji Town and Country Club overlooking Lake Bemidji. The Bemidji Mudcats are members of the Class B Minnesota Baseball Association and the Arrowhead League. Home games are played at the BSU field from May to July. Bemidji was declared “Curling Capital USA” after the Fenson and Johnson Curling Teams returned from the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. The Fenson Team won a Bronze Medal in the Men’s Curling event. Education Independent School District 31, Bemidji Area Schools, serves approximately 5,000 students and employs 388 teachers and over 400 other workers. The district is comprised of six K-5 elementary schools, a middle school for grades 6-8, and a high school. Bemidji High School offers over 100 courses and advanced placement classes. The high school moved into a new building in 2001. Bemidji Area Schools operates the Northwest Minnesota Juvenile Center Program, Community Education, the Early Intervention Program, the Family Resource Center and Riverside School. Two charter schools and two parochial schools offer additional educational opportunities to families in the community. Bemidji is the home of Bemidji State University, founded in 1919, with an enrollment of over 5,000 students from 44 states and 40 foreign countries. U.S. News and World Report listed the school among the best public institutions in the Midwest. BSU has a national reputation for quality programming with 65 majors and pre-professional programs. Centrally located between three American Indian Reservations, BSU plays a unique role in promoting cultural exchanges. BSU has working articulation agreements with all area accredited Tribal Colleges, and works closely with the Leech Lake Tribal College, Red Lake College, and White Earth Tribal and Community College. BSU is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. Oak Hills Christian College was founded in 1946 and offers eight four-year Bachelors of Art degrees and several one and two-year programs. Northwest Technical College provides occupational learning opportunities and services to meet career choices and serves over 1,000 students. The college has an affiliation with Bemidji State University and many of the classes offered at the technical college are applied to obtain a four-year degree from Bemidji State University. The Bemidji Public Library is part of the Kitchigami Regional Library System. Health Care Full-service North Country Regional Hospital has more than 70 physicians in 18 areas of specialization as part of the staff of 850. The hospital provides primary services and outpatient programs focusing on sports medicine, physical therapy and hospice care. In 2004, the hospital completed a major expansion bringing total capacity to 123 beds, and the Neilson Place care center was established. Family medical care is provided by Northern Medical Clinic, which is affiliated with the hospital, and MeritCare Clinic, which is associated with MeritCare of Fargo, North Dakota. The Organization The City of Bemidji is a home rule charter city with a council-manager form of government. The City Council is comprised of a Mayor and six Councilmembers. Five of the Councilmembers represent wards, one Councilmember serves at-large position, and all are elected to four-year terms. The Mayor is elected to a two-year term. The Council is assisted by a number of boards, commissions and joint powers authorities including the Bemidji Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the Bemidji-Beltrami County Airport Commission. The City has 100 full-time employees and 50 part-time employees. The General Fund budget is $7 million and the total budget is $29 million. Organizational Structure  City Services Police protection is provided through a 30-member department and three part-time officers. Officers answer all medical calls and are equipped with defibrillators in the squad cars. Fire services are provided by a staff of eight salaried firefighters, a Fire Captain and 40 volunteer firefighters. The Bemidji Rural Fire Association contracts with the department for fire fighting services and equipment use. The department covers the city limits, 13 townships, the communities of Wilton and Turtle River, and the Bemidji Regional Airport. The total fire district covers 448 square miles. The Bemidji Public Works Department maintains city streets and provides water and wastewater services. The water system is comprised of wells and has a storage capacity of 1.7 million gallons. The wastewater treatment facility has a capacity of 2.5 million gpd with an average demand of 1.2 million gpd. Refuse removal is provided through the city. Electricity is provided by Otter Tail Power Company and Beltrami Electric Cooperative. The Bemidji Regional Airport is jointly owned and operated by the City and Beltrami County, with a 6,600 foot runway and a private fixed-base operation through Bemidji Aviation Services. Mesaba Airlines-Northwest Airlink provides commercial passenger service with four to eight flights daily to Minneapolis. The Position The City Manager reports to the City Council and is responsible for the administration of municipal operations. Specific duties include: • Manage all departments and agencies to achieve city goals. • Appoint and remove all Department Heads and employees. Train, motivate and evaluate staff. • Provide leadership in the development of short and long range plans. • Provide professional advice to the City Council and make presentations to the Council, boards, commissions, civic groups and the general public. • Prepare the annual budget, monitor revenues and expenditures, and advise the Council on financial conditions and current and future city needs. Background and Experience Candidates for the City Manager position should posses a Master’s degree in public administration, political science, business management, or a closely related field and five years experience as a municipal Manager/Administrator or ten years in a related responsible management role. Candidates will have broad knowledge of the policies and practices of public administration in finance, human resources, public works, public safety and community development. Specific background includes: • Strong skills in municipal budgeting and financial management. • Significant experience in community development including long range planning and the community visioning processes. • Experience in staff supervision and evaluation. Familiarity with human resource activities. • Familiarity with the use of governance tools to build strong board/management relationships. • Experience working in a multi-cultural community. • Understanding of the impact of tourism on a community. • Highly developed skills in media relations and public relations. • Knowledge of growth management and the annexation process. • Understanding of negotiating and managing Joint Powers Agreements. • Familiarity with environmental controls pertaining to growth and development. • Experience in public facility planning and construction. Management Capabilities • Be concise and direct in dealing with staff. Be clear on direction and expectations and focus on efficiency and organization. • Build strong coalitions with community organizations. Enjoy taking an active leadership role in community events. • Be an enthusiastic spokesperson for the city. Deal with the media promptly and openly. • Establish regular meetings with other institutions and government agencies including the University, School District, Hospital and County. • Keep abreast of legislation and regional and state issues that have an impact on Bemidji. • Cultivate a strong City Hall management team. • Be able to deal with some controversy from elected officials and community members. • Resolve human resources concerns in a timely manner. Position Priorities • Update the Comprehensive Plan including planning for infrastructure and new growth areas. • Work with six surrounding townships on the development of orderly annexation agreements. Evaluate necessary resources and staff to implement growth plans. • Collaborate with “Bemidji Leads!” in planning, development, construction and marketing efforts for a new events center. Manage the referendum process. Consider financing options including extending the local option sales tax. • Work with the Downtown Development Authority on downtown revitalization and the need for downtown design standards. • Develop partnerships with various economic development organizations. Work towards developing a broader, stronger tax base. • Stabilize leadership functions within the Police Department. • Establish stable and effective library services at an affordable cost. • Explore additional neighborhood park resources and recreational amenities, including new trails and redevelopment of south shore Lake Bemidji. • Examine housing rehabilitation programs for rental and owner occupied units. Look at options for development of low and moderate income housing. • Oversee future street construction, utility extensions, and expansion of the wastewater plant. • Evaluate staffing needs and capabilities in the Departments of Engineering, Public Safety, Parks and Recreation, and Planning. Develop succession plans for management positions. Announcement City Manager, Bemidji, MN (pop. 13,000). Starting Salary: minimum low to mid 80s. Bemidji, First City on the Mississippi, is a growing community of 13,000 located in the heart of the northern lakes and pines region and one of Minnesota’s favorite vacation destinations. Responsible for 100 full-time employees, a GF budget of $7 million and total budget of $29 million. Candidates will have broad knowledge in all phases of municipal government, with specific experience in community economic development and redevelopment, financial management, staff development and strong public relations. Candidates for the City Manager position should possess a Master’s degree in public administration, political science, business management or a closely related field and five years experience as a municipal Manager/ Administrator or ten years in a related responsible management position. Position Profile available. Send resume by 7/17/06 to The Brimeyer Group Executive Search, 50 S. 9th Avenue, #101, Hopkins, MN 55343. Phone: (952) 945-0246, Fax: (952) 945-0102, e-mail: brimgroup@aol.com, web: www.brimgroup.com City of Bemidji web:
www.ci.bemidji.mn.us |
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