Manager position open to current county employees

The Larimer County Commissioners have decided to start their search for a new county manager close to home — with current county employees.

Frank Lancaster’s last day as county manager will be May 11, after which he will become the town administrator in Estes Park.

The commissioners will be accepting internal applications for the manager job through noon April 23. The three-membe board will review all applications and pare the pool to three to five finalists in executive session. The finalists will be announced publicly on May 2.

The finalists will be interviewed by the senior management team and elected officials other than the commissioners on May 7 and 8. An open question-and-answer session with the candidates for county residents has been set for May 7, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the county courthouse, 200 W. Oak St., Fort Collins.

The commissioners will interview the finalists in public session starting at 1 p.m. on May 16, and expect to announce their selection by the end of that week. The initial hire will be for a six-month probationary period, and the individual’s current county job will remain open during that probation.

The salary range for the manager’s job is from $137,117 to $160,436 per year, which is Lancaster’s current salary. He has worked for Larimer County in various capacities for 31 years, the last 18 as county manager.

Promoting internally will save the county the time and expense of a national search, according to the commissioners. Assistant County Manager Neil Gluckman will serve as manager during the transition.