REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Travis K. Hopkins, Assistant City Manager
Subject:
title
Approve the appointment of Scott Haberle to the position of Fire Chief, and authorize the City Manager to execute the employment agreement
body
Statement of Issue:
The City's Fire Chief retired in July of 2019. To fill this critical leadership position, a national recruitment was conducted for the position of Fire Chief. Based on a thorough process to include a panel interview, Department Head meetings, and background and reference checks, the City Manager is recommending the appointment of Scott Haberle to the position.
Financial Impact:
Funding for this position is included in the FY 2019/20 budget.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the "Employment Agreement between the City of Huntington Beach and Scott Haberle" for the position of Fire Chief.
end
Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve the appointment of Scott Haberle for the position of Fire Chief and direct the City Manager to re-launch a national recruitment.
Analysis:
The position of Fire Chief has been vacant since July 2019 due to the retirement of the former incumbent, thereby creating the need to fill the department head vacancy. The City Manager authorized Human Resources to launch the recruitment for Fire Chief in the fall of 2019. The City received more than 40+ applications for the position. Seven (7) candidates were invited to an interview process with two panels, a technical panel with external seasoned leaders in the Fire Safety industry and a representative of the Fire Association, and a second panel of the City's Executive (Department Head) team. The panels jointly recommended two (2) finalists.
The City Manager and Assistant City Manager conducted follow-up interviews with each finalist. After full and deliberate consideration...
Click here for full text