By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
After Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis announced his resignation Dec. 5, the Great Bend Great Bend City Council announced steps were underway to find Francis' replacement.
At Monday's meeting, the governing body approved Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns to become the interim administrator and Police Chief Steve Haulmark will become Burns' consultant.
"As we start the search for our next city administrator, that will be the role of these two gentlemen," said Mayor Cody Schmidt. "We did reach out to four other candidates in search of an interim but did not gain any traction with that. At this time, me personally I feel like this is our best situation, to name Logan as the interim and keep our city moving forward."
Burns was named the assistant administrator in November after serving as the building official for the past three and a half years. Haulmark began with the Great Bend Police Department in January 2021.
The city council made the decision following a 30-minute executive session. Earlier in the meeting, the council voted to hire Strategic Government Resources (SGR) for $18,500 to handle the search for the next administrator. The not-to-exceed amount for SGR is $24,900.
Francis came to Great Bend in July 2018 and has accepted the administrator position for the City of Hutchinson. Francis' last day with Great Bend is Jan. 6, 2023.