The city of DeKalb is looking for a city manager to replace soon-to-be retired Jim Connors.

Connors will take advantage of an early retirement option offered by the state. He will end his six-year tenure as city manager on Jan. 30, 2004.

The seven city council members are reviewing the 53 applications received before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Council members have been sifting through resumes for the past week to choose the 10 or so best qualified candidates, Mayor Greg Sparrow said.

The city council met in closed session before its regular meeting Monday night to compare selections, Sparrow said.

The city manager is responsible for operating the city government and executing the policies of the city council, Connors said.

“It’s kind of like the chief administrative officer of a company,” Connors said. The city manager oversees the police, fire and public works departments and with long-range planning, he said.

Connors said one of the bigger challenges of the job is meeting rising expectations of service with declining revenues.

Seeing efficient operation in a governmental body is one of the benefits of the job, Connors said. Another, he said, was to help shape the future of the city and raise the quality and value of services in the city.

Monetary benefits for the new city manager have not yet been decided.

“I don’t know that our salary for the city manager is in line,” Sparrow said. “In northern Illinois, we’re in competition with the suburbs and other cities. Sycamore just gave their city manager a raise to $105,000.”

Sycamore has about one-third the population of DeKalb and is within the current pay range for city manager, Sparrow said.

“Realistically, we may be out of wack,” he said.

Sparrow said the council will look at potential candidates, their merits and their asking salary, Sparrow said.

With some of the more-qualified candidates, pay could be a limiting factor, Sparrow said.

“I don’t know that we’ll pay $150,000,” he said.

The council will negotiate with candidates for a salary level, he said.

The city requires at least a master’s degree in public administration or a related field and five years experience in a supervisory position in government, according to the notice of vacancy prepared by the city.

When the city council narrows the field to five or so candidates, interviews will begin, Sparrow said.

The council and three committees – including members of the police, fire and government workers’ unions, eight non-union department and division heads, and a committee of 15 citizens selected by the mayor – will interview candidates around Dec. 12 and 13, Sparrow said.

Connors will retire with a deal that gives him an extra five years of credit for service with the city and five years added to his age.

Connors said he will not be able to work for government in Illinois, but said a Wisconsin community had expressed some interest in him. He declined the offer and will remain in DeKalb to pursue other business interests, he said.