Elliot Lake's former Chief Building Official (CBO) Leo Chaloux, left his post early last December, less than 1 year after he started the job.
"In the interim, building services are being conducted by Tulloch Engineering and service to the public remains unchanged," CAO Daniel Gagnon said in an announcement at the time. "Tulloch Engineering provides similar services to neighbouring municipalities and will continue in that capacity while the city seeks to fill the vacant position."
At a special Council meeting Monday afternoon at 4:30 pm, Gagnon will urge councillors to spend $22,000 to hire a firm to find Chaloux's replacement.
"That council approve contracting the firm of Feldman Daxon Inc. at an upset limit of $22,000 plus applicable taxes and disbursements to fill the vacancy in the position of CBO and that the use of the negotiation method in the procurement bylaw be approved to waive the need for tendering since the same firm was selected following a competitive RFP in 2019," Gagnon wrote in a report to council.
The CAO warned it is expected to be challenging to hire the next CBO.
"Attempts to advertise and recruit for the position in late 2019 and early 2020 were wholly unsuccessful," Gagnon said.
"Recruitment for senior positions in municipalities in Ontario is becoming increasingly challenging and is even more acute in northeastern Ontario and Elliot Lake in particular. Building inspectors and the like are also market sensitive positions in high demand due to the ever increasing complexity of the Ontario Building Code and the education and courses needed to keep up.
"The firm of Feldman Daxon won a competitive RFP (Request For Proposals) in June 19, 2019 and was used to recruit the treasurer position at a cost of approximately $35,000," Gagnon also said. "The process was very challenging but the firm was professional and thorough, eventually after months of searching recruiting the Director of Finance/Treasurer.
"The fees for recruitment firms are often based on the salary of the position being sought and the slightly lower salary of the CBO (compared to Treasurer) means the fee for this recruitment effort will be $22,000."
"There seems little rationale for the delay and process that would be involved in doing another RFP or call for bids from recruitment firms. Following this recruitment effort, the use of recruitment firms in general and Feldman Daxon in particular will be reviewed," Gagnon concluded.