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Metro Flood Diversion Authority—July 25, 2019 3 <br />Voucher approval The bills for the month are Cass County Joint Water Resource District (CCJWRD) for costs associated with the Metro Flood Diversion right-of-entry and land acquisitions, Diversion Project Assessment District, OHB levee, and in-town levees; Dorsey & Whitney for legal services; and Ohnstad Twichell, P.C. for legal services. MOTION, passed Mr. Grindberg moved and Mr. Mahoney seconded to approve the vouchers received through July 19, 2019, in the amount of $2,956,109.38. On roll call vote, the motion carried unanimously. 11. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH <br />Robert Wilson, Cass County Administrator and Co-Executive Director, said interviews with three candidates for the Executive Director position were held on July 17th. He said Pam Derby from CPS HR Consulting reached out to candidates regarding salary and benefits to be considered <br />during contract negotiations. Mr. Shockley explained the process to hire an Executive Director. He said according to the Joint <br />Powers Agreement, the engagement of an Executive Director requires at least one affirmation vote to be cast by a City of Fargo Board member, Cass County Board member, and Minnesota Board member. <br />MOTION, failed Mr. Piepkorn moved and Mr. Steen seconded to enter into negotiations with Barret Lane as the preferred candidate for the Executive Director of the Metro Flood Diversion Authority. Discussion: Mr. Steen said the local candidate (Joel Paulsen) has more technical experience while Mr. Lane has more government and administrative experience, and both are excellent candidates. Mr. Mahoney agreed that both Mr. Lane and Mr. Paulsen are good candidates for the job. Mr. Peterson believes Mr. Lane is better suited to establish the office right away and two or three years from now, Mr. Paulsen would be better suited for the position. Mr. Grindberg did not participate in the interviews, but reviewed all of the information on each candidate. Mr. Grindberg feels that Mr. Paulsen knows the project and prefers him because he is local and would not have to be educated on the project. Mr. Judd said both candidates meet the job requirements; however, his choice is Mr. Paulsen because he knows the local dynamics of the project, has credibility and is able to build and maintain relationships within the community. Mr. Campbell is disappointed the board did not have some discussion prior to a vote being introduced. Mr. Campbell feels that Mr. Paulsen is the right person for the job and is the only candidate who said he would stay through completion of the project. Mr. Campbell said there is still much work to accomplish in Minnesota regarding funding and he believes Mr. Paulsen has the connections to get this done. Mrs. Scherling works on the project daily and she said an organizational structure is needed right away. She said Mr. Lane has successfully executed large-scale projects and believes the Diversion needs a leader with his type of experience. Mr. Piepkorn said the Executive Director needs to be able to “own the room” and the experience of Mr. Lane will allow him to do the job immediately. Mr. Hendrickson supports Mr. Paulsen because most of the project involves construction and needs an engineer, which is Mr. Paulsen’s background. On roll call vote, the motion failed with Mr. Grindberg, Mr. Judd, Mr. Hendrickson, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Weyland and Mr. Jacobson voting “No”; and Mr. Piepkorn, Mr. Steen, Mrs. Scherling, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Mahoney, and Mr. Thorstad voting “Yes”.