ERIN – Council has decided to begin the months-long process of searching for a new CAO.
Former Erin CAO Nathan Hyde, who held the top staff position in town for six years, left abruptly to work for the Town of Caledon on Aug. 8.
Town fire chief Jim Sawkins has been “acting” in the role since, though the former CAO bylaw hasn’t been repealed, nor a new one passed.
At a meeting on Aug. 17, council discussed recruitment options, presented by town clerk Lisa Campion, following an hour-long closed meeting inaccessible to the public and reporters.
It’s unknown what town staff and elected officials said or discussed, but after council came out of the closed meeting, a motion was carried to offer an unidentified individual the interim CAO job.
Campion’s options for finding a permanent CAO ranged from hiring a recruitment consultant to not hiring a CAO at all.
There are benefits and downsides to each option, along with financial implications outlined in the report.
The recommendation on Campion’s report was to receive it for information.
If that recommendation was carried, it would mean no action would be taken — and that had councillor John Brennan’s attention.
“We’re in the midst of well certainly the largest project that this town has ever seen … I think time is of the essence here,” Brennan said.
The councillor advocated for hiring a consultant “to start the process as soon as we can.”
The town must first issue a tender for a consultant company, followed by a review of bids for the job to make a recommendation to council.
According to town treasurer Wendy Parr, that could take around two months — giving time for consultants to bid, questions to be asked and responded to, and the internal review.
“It is going to be quite a time-consuming process,” Parr said.
It could also be expensive, according to Campion’s report, which states: “The expenses associated with hiring an external consultant to handle the recruitment process could cost up to $100,000.”
A recommendation will eventually be made to council on what consultant to hire, and only then can the search for a new head staffer begin.
“We are talking about a longer-term process, and hence the reason why I would like to start it now instead of waiting for a couple more meetings,” Brennan remarked.
Council carried a motion to get a tender issued in search of a consultant, to find the town a new CAO.
