Dubuque City Council Special Meeting | Sept. 9, 2026

The City of Dubuque held a special City Council meeting on September 9, 2026, focused on selecting a consultant firm to conduct the executive recruitment for a new City Manager. Two consulting firms, GMP Consultants and CPS HR Consulting, presented their recruitment approaches, timelines, and fees. GMP Consultants proposed a flat fee of $20,000 plus estimated additional expenses of $5,000 to $7,000 for job boards and outreach, emphasizing their Midwest focus and extensive local government experience. CPS HR Consulting highlighted their nationwide recruitment network and robust outreach strategies, including leveraging a database of over 200,000 candidates. Council members discussed the merits of each firm, with a consensus favoring GMP Consultants due to their alignment with Dubuque's community and recruitment needs. The council also addressed procedural matters for managing the recruitment process, including appointing the Human Resources department as the point of contact and establishing regular updates. The meeting concluded with a unanimous motion to select GMP Consultants for the City Manager executive recruitment services and plans to finalize the contract and kickoff the process in upcoming meetings.