Why Finding a New CAO Will Cost $33,000

Sault Ste. Marie taxpayers will spend $33,000 to find a new CAO for the city of Sault Ste. Marie.

Council is expected to approve that amount when it hires the services of Feldman Daxon, a search consultant firm who will narrow down a short-list of potential candidates for the City’s top job.

CAO Malcolm White announced his intention to retire in May 2023, with an anticipated retirement date of January 31, 2024.

In June 2023, Council appointed a CAO Selection Committee comprising of Mayor Shoemaker and Councillors Caputo and Bruni.

The CAO Selection Committee met on June 28, 2023 to lay out an expected timeline for the recruitment of a new CAO. It was decided, at their initial meeting, that a search consultant should be engaged to assist in the recruitment process. The City issued an RFP through the purchasing department . The City of Sault Ste. Marie received 12 proposals in response to the RFP, and those proposals were vetted and scored by
Staff, comprising of the Manager of Purchasing, the Director of Human Resources, the City Clerk and the Deputy City Clerk. The proposals were also vetted and scored by the CAO Selection Committee.

Feldman Daxon’s proposed fee is $33,000 + HST. While not the deciding factor in recommending them, their fee was the third lowest of the 12 proposals. The average proposed fee within the 12 proposals was $44,500. said the report to council.

City staff is recommending in hiring Feldman Daxon. They propose a candidate search that will result in an appointment of a new CAO by December of 2023 or January of 2024, which is in line with the anticipated retirement date of CAO White.