City Council — June 30, 2026
The meeting featured spirited debate regarding professional recruitment versus internal staffing and included a split vote on the recruitment strategy.
At the June 30 Claremont City Council meeting, residents saw a significant debate regarding the future leadership of our city and how our budget is being reallocated to cover unexpected costs.
First, the Council is split on how to find our next City Manager. In an 8-1 vote, the Council authorized Mayor Girard to begin negotiating a contract with a professional recruitment firm, MRI. While some members argued that professional 'headhunters' are necessary to find qualified candidates, Councillor Irish voted against the move, stating that the Council should take direct responsibility for the hiring process rather than outsourcing it to an outside agency.
Second, the Council approved Resolution 2026-61, which involves shifting significant funds between departments to cover unanticipated expenses. These transfers include moving $120,000 from Planning to General Services and $30,000 from the Community Center to the Police Department. While officials noted there will be no immediate impact on the tax rate, these shifts highlight growing cost pressures in police training, vehicle maintenance, and emergency communications.
With the current administrative support set to depart, Council members emphasized that a plan for an interim manager must be in place within three weeks to avoid a leadership vacuum. The Council is expected to discuss internal interim candidates at this coming Wednesday's meeting.
Public impact
Reallocation of hundreds of thousands of dollars across several departments including Police, Planning, and Fire.
The Council noted a stable overall bottom line and approved the interdepartmental transfers.
The selection of a new top executive for the city.
The Council authorized the Mayor to negotiate a contract with MRI and will discuss potential internal interim candidates at the next meeting.
The Mayor will negotiate the MRI contract; the item will return to the Council for review. Discussion on internal interim candidates is set for the next Wednesday meeting.
Topics discussed
A review of the fiscal year 2026 revenues and expenditures, noting a healthy bottom line despite certain overages in specific budget units.
The Council reviewed the reports and noted that while some units were over budget, the overall bottom line remains stable.
A proposal to transfer funds between various city departments to cover unanticipated expenses without impacting the tax rate.
The resolution was read into the record, seconded, and moved toward a vote following a public hearing.
Discussion regarding the strategy for recruiting a new City Manager, comparing in-house HR efforts with professional recruitment firms.
The Council did not reach a final consensus during the initial segment, but there was significant lean toward a phased approach starting with in-house efforts. The Council later voted to allow the Mayor to negotiate a contract with MRI and bring it back to the Council for approval.
The Mayor will negotiate the MRI contract; the item is expected to return to the Council for review and potential funding resolution. Determine whether to proceed with an in-house search or a professional firm and establish a recruitment committee.
Council members discussed the urgent need for an interim manager to ensure continuity of operations once the current HR/administrative support departs.
The Council agreed to include a discussion regarding potential internal interim candidates on the upcoming agenda.
Discussion on potential internal interim candidates to be added to the Wednesday meeting agenda.
Controversy & dissent
Potentially controversial issues
City Manager Recruitment Strategy
Split votes
Public comment
Decisions logged
Action items
Member positions
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position. UNCLEAR means the vote was split but the record did not name how this member voted — it is not a “yes.”
Creating this report cost real money.
MeetingWatch attended, transcribed, and analyzed this meeting on its own dime. If this work is valuable to you, chip in to keep covering Claremont.
Follow Claremont
One email when a new report is published from the City Council — or one weekly digest.
gemma-4-26b, grok-4.3, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning, grok-4-fast · analyzed 2026-07-01.