CITY OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS
The City of Wichita Falls, Texas, population 104,823 is located 15 miles south of the Red River/Oklahoma border, is the county seat of Wichita County, TX and is the home of Midwestern University and Sheppard Air Force Base. Sheppard is the headquarters for the European NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. This program is the only one of its kind in the world and trains our alliers' most promising fighter pilots. The base also supports several technical training schools for U.S. military service members. Sheppard AFB is the largest employer in the area with 3,700 permanent party, an average of 5,700 students, and 4,041 civilian employees. The estimated impact of SAFB on local economy is $612 million annually.
Wichita Falls offers its citizens and visitors a unique blend of culture and western heritage. The City enjoys multi-cultural influences from around the world and is home to an impressive roster of Fortune 500 companies and foreign manufacturers from Sweden, France, and Switzerland. A strong economy can be attributed primarily to growth in the three major sectors of Government, Manufacturing and Healthcare.
Wichita Falls has a diverse offering of cultural, sporting, and educational activities, including the Red River Rodeo with 14,000 spectators: the Texas-Oklahoma Junior Gold Tournament which is the largest junior gold tourney in the world hosting 1,400 participants; historic Texas ranches compete during the Original Texas Ranch Roundup as 15,000 watch them vie for Texas Working Ranch of the Year honors; the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred where 10,000+ cyclists from aound the nation ride in the largest sanctioned bicycle ride in the world; and the Supper Sectionals tennis tournament.
The City Government
The City of Wichita Falls adopted the Council-Manager form of government in 1920. The City Council is comprised of five members elected by districts, the Mayor and one member of the Council elected at large. The City Council appoints the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk and Municipal Court Judge. All other staff are appointed by and report to the City Manager. The City of Wichita Falls is a full service city with an annual operating budget of $111.o million, an annual capital budget of $9.0 million and 1,300 full time employees.
The Position
Issues/Opportunities
o Changes at Sheppard Air Force Base related to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
o On the edge of significant growth - need to direct the growth to the community's advantage
o Opportunity to make creative and significant changes in the image and direction of the City
o Opportunity to plan for bond issue for infrastructure/technology upgrades
o Realignment of the City organization
o Loop 11 extension
o Establishing confidence of the community
The Ideal Candidate
Education and Experience
Candidates for the position will have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science or similar field, with seven to ten years of increasingly responsible management experience in a comparable sized community with a similar political, growth and business environment. Candidates should have three to five years experience as a City Manager in a comparably sized or smaller community or as an Assistant Manager in a larger community. A Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration or Political Science is highly desirable, as is a proven track record of success in a growing and progressive community. Additional executive management training and credentialed by ICMA are also desirable.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
o Knowledge of the full range of municipal services
o Demonstrated success as a municipal manager in a similar-sized community
o Understanding of economic development principles
o Experience in downtown development
o Understanding of planning and development principles and policies
o Strong financial management and budgeting skills
o Excellent oral and written communication skills
o Ability to think strategically and communicate a shared vision to the organization and community
o Demonstrated ability to build a strong management team
o Knowledge of sound business practices
o Ability to work with and communicate to people of diverse cultural backgrounds
o Understanding of the role and importance of technology in organizational productivity
o Ability to take calculated risks
Management Style and Personal Traits
o Unquestionable ethics and high moral character
o Ability to set clear objectives, allowing managers to perform while holding them accountable for results
o High energy level
o Confident in his/her leadership
o A progressive leader with a strategic orientation and the ability to anticipate rather than react to organizational/community issues, concerns and opportunities
o Politically astute without being political
o Visible involvement in the community
o Good sense of humor
o Strong work ethic
o Entrepreneurial approach to city operations
Compensation
The City of Wichita Falls has established an outstanding and competitive compensation package that is negotiable depending on experience and qualifications. The City of Wichita Falls participates in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS). Under this tax deferred plan the employee contributes 5% of gross salary which the City matches on a 2 to 1 basis. In addition, the City offers an excellent executive benefit package.
How to Apply
Qualified individuals should send resumes (email preferred), current salary information and five business related references no later than close of business July 29, 2005.
Jim C. Blagg, Sr. VP
The Mercer Group, Inc.
405 Sommerville Court
Arlington, TX 76013
VOICE: 972.740.3519/FAX: 817.275.0897
EMAIL: mercertx@sbcglobal.net
Resumes will be screened in relation to the criteria outlined in this brochure. Candidates with relevant qualifications will be given preliminary interviews by consultants. Candidates deemed qualified will be reported to the City. A final interview process will be scheduled for selected candidates.
THE CITY OF WICHITA FALLS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND VALUES DIVERSITY AT ALL LEVELS OF ITS WORKPLACE. FEMALE, MINORITY AND IDSABLED CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. THE TEXAK PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT MAY REQUIRE DISCLOSURE OF APPLICANT INFORMATION AT ANY STAGE OF THE PROCESS.