Cape begins search for new city administrator

The hunt is about to begin in earnest for Cape Girardeau’s next city manager.

Mayor Bob Fox and the city’s six ward council members will meet with a consultant Monday to layout the timeline and process to replace retiring city manager Scott Meyer when he leaves office in June.

“Choosing a city manager is the most important job a (city) council can do,” said Fox, who is in the middle of a four-year term as mayor.

Consultant with Show Me State experience

To guide the search, the City Council is hiring GovHR vice president Mark Peterson, who spent much of his career in municipal administration.

Peterson, a 1980 graduate of the University of Iowa, worked initially for the city of Liberty, Missouri, before a 30-year stint with the town of Normal, Illinois — the last 20 as manager.

“Normal is a similar-sized community to ours,” said Fox, noting Normal’s population of just over 54,000 is just a bit larger than Cape Girardeau’s.

A 2018 estimate of Cape Girardeau’s population puts it at just under 40,000.

Longest ever

When Meyer leaves City Hall next summer, he will have served more years than any other city manager in Cape Girardeau’s history.

At a dozen years, Meyer’s tenure will best by one year the length of service of the second-longest officeholder, W.G. “Gayle” Lawley, who served from 1970 to 1981.

Fox said a city profile is being assembled and noted 110 Cape Girardeau municipal employees returned questionnaires detailing their opinions about the city manager’s job and what qualities are needed in Meyer’s successor.

Meyer was hired in 2009 for $117,000 annually with a contract specifying an $8,000 performance bonus.

Meyer, who had no previous experience as a city manager, came to the job after serving four years as director of facilities management for Southeast Missouri State University.

Prior to working for the university, Meyer spent nine years as district engineer for the Southeast office of the Missouri Department of Transportation.

At the time of his selection, then-Mayor Jay B. Knudtson indicated Meyer’s familiarity with Cape Girardeau was a decided plus.

“He knows where Sprigg Street is,” Knudtson said at the time.

A dozen years ago, the city received 56 resumes from applicants in 23 states in a search costing the municipality $10,000.

Gearing up

The consultant who will direct the recruitment effort for Meyer’s replacement expects a speedy process.

“We thought it might take as long as six months,” Fox said, “but (Peterson) tells us it will be more like three-to-four months.”

Fox anticipates the cost of the search will be in the neighborhood of $24,000.

Football connection

Normal is home to the main campus of Illinois State University, which defeated Southeast 24-6 in a FCS playoff game Nov. 30 at Houck Stadium.