employment opportunity township manager

Employment Opportunity

Township Manager

Northfield Township

MICHIGAN MUNICIPAL LEAGUE

Northfield Township, Michigan, has a great opportunity for a new Township Manager. An excellent staff and a seven-member Board of Trustees are committed to supporting and providing a great career opportunity to a community-minded public Manager who wishes to become part of this tight-knit community. The 2021-22 General Fund Budget is $1.6 million with a fund balance of $1.4 million. The Township will provide a comprehensive benefits package with a salary ranging from $85,000-$110,000 depending on qualifications and experience.

POPULATION

8,245

SIZE

36.3 sq. miles

GENERAL FUND BUDGET

$1.6 million

STARTING SALARY

$85,000—$110,000 DOQ

Northfield Township Township Manager


Northfield Township, formed in 1832, is located halfway between Ann Arbor and Brighton off of US 23. Encompassing 36 square miles and is home to the area known as Whitmore Lake. The Township not only offers a rolling countryside, centennial farms, nature preserves and an ideally located downtown, but is only minutes from city life. Beautiful Whitmore Lake, an all-sport 750-acre lake, offers many recreational opportunities. A seven member Board of Trustees governs the Township: Supervisor, Treasurer, Clerk and four Trustees. Board members are elected every four years. In 2013, the Board of Trustees elected to transition the government structure from full-time elected leadership to a Council-Manager form of government. The Supervisor, Treasurer, and Clerk were voted in as part-time positions at that time. The Township Board brings a wealth of knowledge and a spirit of volunteerism, which should aid the new Manager in his or her tenure. Northfield Township is a caring, tight-knit community that strongly valuesits small town charm.

The Township’s two largest land uses consist of residential (26 percent) and agricultural (54 percent.) Redevelopment in the downtown area is ready to take off. The new Manager will have the opportunity to work towards implementing athe Township’s master plan, adopted in 2019. Residents appreciate the Township's Police and Fire Services, and have supported these services with special millages.

THE COMMUNITY


The Township is ideally located 10 minutes from Ann Arbor, Brighton and South Lyon and is close to: • Major highways (US 23, I-96, an I-94) • All major urban centers in the state • Both the Detroit Metropolitan and Flint

International Airports (making the world only minutes away)

• Excellent health care facilities (the University of Michigan and St. Joseph Mercy hospitals)

• many golf courses • All-sports Whitmore Lake (boating, canoeing,

and kayaking, just to name a few) • Other outdoor options, including: Northfield

Woods Preserve, Whitmore Lake Preserve (at 7 Mile Road), Whitmore Lake Bark Park, Community Garden, and Jenny's Road Athletic Complex.

• Higher education, such as the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College.

Community events include: • 4th of July Parade • 4th of July Fireworks • Red White and Blue 5K and 10K Races • Lighted Boat Parade • Trunk or Treat for Halloween • Easter Egg Hunt • Land Preservation Spring Wildflower Hike • Project Bunny, a program that delivers “A Little

Spring Cheer” to residents in the Community The Northfield Township Area Library serves the Township. Its purpose is to, “Engage, educate and encourage” with a vision “to empower our community through literacy, information, and technology.” Programs include: • Family Story Time • Animal Visitors • Family Fun Thursdays • Little Listeners Story time

The Northfield Township Community Center is an ever-expanding center dedicated to the residents of Northfield Township and the surrounding area. Residents are invited to take advantage of any number of programs, activities, and travel opportunities. Programs include: • Movies under the Stars • Old-Fashioned Halloween • Senior Holiday Gala • Dinner with Santa Northfield Township and surrounding areas have some of the most highly-rated school districts in the State. Residents of the Township can attend Whitmore Lake, Ann Arbor, and South Lyon Schools. Other options include parochial and a charter school (located in Livingston Classical Academy, a former public school building). In true community spirit, there is the Community Scholarship Foundation, which recently awarded $54,000 in scholarships all through generous donations from the community! Although the “Great Recession” had an impact on all communities, which resulted in the loss of its tax base, the Township has been able to maintain quality services and is in good financial shape. Visit http://www.twp-northfield.org for more information about the Township.


THE ORGANIZATION

The administrative staff consists of five full-time employees: Township Manager (vacant), Planning/Zoning/Building Coordinator, Deputy Clerk, Deputy Treasurer, and Front Desk Clerk/Building Department Assistant. There is five part-time staff, including: Assistant to the Manager, Controller, Code Enforcement Officer, Election Coordinator, and Janitorial staff. The Police Department consists of a full-time Public Safety Director who oversees Police and Fire, 11 full time sworn officers, four part -ime sworn officers, five Reserve officers, and four Administrative staff. The Fire Department consists of 19 paid on call Firefighters. The Township’s Wastewater Treatment Plant is operated and maintained by five full-time employees. The Community Center has a full-time Director and a part-time assistant.

The Township also has a long history of collaboration with its neighbors. This includes dispatch and roads (with Washtenaw County), in addition to providing sewer service to Green Oak Township in neighboring Livingston County. The new Township Manager will have the opportunity to work with an experienced staff that works well together. To fit in with this dedicated group of public servants, the new Manager must have a customer service orientation and share the organization’s culture of personal investment to the community at-large. To be an effective leader of this team, the new Manager will operate from a base of mutual respect; maintain an open, transparent communication style; and gather input before decisions are made. The elected officials are respectful of the expertise of staff members and expect solid, data-driven research and well thought-out recommendations.


OPPORTUNITIES • Make Northfield Township a “Place to Stay for the Weekend” • Development of parks, housing, and the Industrial Park • Redevelopment of the Downtown District • Build and strengthen partnership between the Township and the Downtown Development

Authority (DDA) • Cultivate relationships • Bring agriculture and Downtown development parties together • Continue progress on the Redevelopment Ready Community Program

CHALLENGES

• Park Revitalization • Downtown Revitalization • Expanding Broadband access • Connecting the community in population hubs

The incoming Township Manager will find the following opportunities and challenges awaiting his/her attention in Northfield Township:

PRIORITES

• Generate buy-in in the community • Funding • North Territorial Development • Road Maintenance Funding • Aging Infrastructure • Limitations of existing sewer system • Lack of medical care in town • Connectivity of neighborhood sidewalks


THE IDEAL CANDIDATE The Township will only accept applicants with a high level of integrity who are ethical, loyal, willing to be involved in the community, and have an understanding of a wide-range of municipal service provisions. In order to be considered as a qualified applicant, respondents are expected to have attained:

• A Bachelor’s or Masters Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance or appropriately related field AND,

• Five years of experience in public/governmental sector management or related field,

• Appropriate combination of education and professional governmental leadership experience will be considered

• Increasing responsibility for projects, programs, departments

• Strong interpersonal, written and public communication skills a prerequisite

Areas of experience preferred:

• Human Resources • Economic Development • Planning and Zoning • History of Community and Civic

involvement • Public sector Budget and Finance

knowledge • Developing relationships and sourcing grant

funding • Proficient with Microsoft Office

applications

Applicants moving to the level of candidate should be able to demonstrate:

• Ability to analyze issues/problems and make sound recommendations to the Board

• Consensus building • Ability to collaborate • Vision and creativity • Familiarity with intergovernmental

agreements and regional partnerships • Ability to develop relationships with the

capacity to discover grant funding • Fiscal responsibility

The new Township Manager will be responsive, visible and invested in the community. The Manager must possess the following qualities:

• High ethical standards; honesty, with a strong sense of personal integrity

• Highly respected by peers and colleagues • A love of community; accessible and

outgoing • Innovative thinker who seeks “out-of-the-

box” alternatives and solutions • Self-motivated; takes initiative • Results driven • Flexible; Be agile and politically astute • Committed and loyal to the community • Decisive and able to stand solidly behind the

Boards’ decisions • A sense of humility • Earnest about the work and mission


APPLICATION PROCESS

APPLY BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS August 27, 2021

Please submit resume, cover letter, consent form, and five professional references to:

Email: [email protected] Subject Line: Northfield Township Search

Questions can be directed to MML Executive Recruiter Jerry Richards at [email protected]. Candidates desiring confidentiality of their interest, as allowed for and provided by Michigan law, must indicate such in a separate subject line above the body of the cover letter. This search is conducted by an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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