The City of Chadron’s search for a new city manager could reach the finalist stage within the next month.

In advertising the vacancy, the city said the application review process would start Feb 11th although applications would be accepted past that date.

Mayor Mark Werner says there are currently 29 candidates who are being scored by the 5 council members on a 1-5 scale on a wide range of skills and attributes. The council will meet in 2 weeks to use the matrix scores in picking semifinalists. 

Mayor Werner, Vice-Mayor Cheryl Welch, City Clerk Donna Rust, and HR Director Bev Bartlett make up the 4-member interview committee. 

Werner doesn’t know how many semifinalists there will be, in part because not every applicant offered a spot takes it.

Werner says there isn’t a hard-and-fast cutoff point on the matrix scores for the semifinalists.

City Manager Greg Yanker, an engineer by training, resigned at the end of December to return to engineering with Fuller Construction of Chadron.

The city council hired retired city public works director Milo Rust as the interim city manager.