The El Paso City Council is once again set to vote on hiring a firm to head up a national search to find a new, permanent city manager.
On Tuesday, City Council is expected to vote on a recommendation to hire Baker Tilly US, a Chicago-based advisory, tax and assurance firm, to conduct the search for an estimated $42,585.
The search was derailed in August when the City Council voted 5-3 to reject an earlier search firm recommendation in order to have more input on which firm is chosen. The firm under consideration during that meeting is the same one council members will vote on Tuesday.
The meeting agenda shows that the new contract represents an “85.15% increase due to additional scope of work added to the contract and price increases in the marketplace.”
El Paso has been without a city manager since February 2023 when Mayor Oscar Leeser cast the tie-breaking vote to terminate former City Manager Tommy Gonzalez’s contract. Interim City Manager Cary Westin was approved two weeks later and began his tenure at the end of June.