Further evaluation of potential city manager candidates could take place in an executive session during the week of Oct. 13-17, said city attorney Craig Ritchie following the Sequim City Council’s two-hour closed-door session on Oct. 8.

Those discussions potentially could result in a "short list" of candidates to be invited for a public reception and interviews held over two days, either Oct. 24-25 or Nov. 7-8, he said.

Those dates remain tentative because the council still needs to develop a "short list" of candidates from the current list of nine for recruiter Lee Walton to begin contacting to arrange interviews, Mayor Laura Dubois said.

When the candidates are selected and the dates determined, candidates will face a Friday public reception and then Saturday interviews in closed session before three panels.

The Friday reception will be held at the Sequim Transit Center, 190 W. Cedar St. It will allow the public to meet the candidates and provide feedback afterward on a comment card, Dubois said.

On Saturday the candidates will be interviewed in private by three panels. One will be comprised of the seven city councilors. Another will be five city staff members, probably senior management. The third probably will be four community members from groups such as the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Chamber of Commerce, schools and nonprofit organizations.

The panels won’t rank the candidates but will present what they think are the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses to the councilors for their consideration.

The city began advertising for its city manager position last month. As set by council at its Aug. 11 meeting, the city manager position’s salary range is $95,000 to $115,000 "plus excellent benefits."

Requirements include a bachelor’s degree in public administration or a related field with a master’s degree desirable. They also include seven years of experience, preferably as a city manager, city administrator, assistant manager or major department head.

The successful candidate will be taking over a city with a $22.5 million budget, including a $8.1 million general fund and 79 employees, although three of those positions are vacant.