The City of Great Bend has been without a permanent city administrator since Howard Partington announced his early retirement on August 16, 2017. Interim City Administrator George Kolb was hired on a short-term basis only to fill the gap until a permanent candidate was found. The selection of the next Great Bend City Administrator is getting closer as the City plans to bring three finalists to town next week for interviews and meet and greets.

The City plans to release the names of the three finalists Monday morning, June 25. On Wednesday, June 27 the candidates will go through internal tours, official interviews, and interviews with the media. On Thursday, June 28 the public will have a chance to meet and interact with the candidates. The Great Bend Chamber of Commerce is opening up a meet-and-greet for Chamber members at 10:30 a.m. at the Great Bend Events Center. The public will also have a chance later in the day starting at 4:30 p.m., also at the Events Center.

In February, the City Council moved forward with hiring Slavin Management Consultants to conduct the job search for $15,505 plus travel and office costs. Slavin narrowed the list of candidates to three finalists and now the City Council will be responsible to select the next City Administrator for the job.

Kolb’s initial six-month contract ended in March, but the Council renewed his contract on a month-by-month basis until a new city administrator is hired. Kolb’s contract pays him $8,400 per month.