After two nights of closed session meetings, the Carbondale City Council and Mayor Mike Henry will continue to evaluate candidates for the interim city manager's position.
Henry won't reveal how many candidates applied, but he says they are comparing the applicants' qualifications and there could an announcement by next week.
He says there won't be any formal action on the hire until the October 20th regularly scheduled City Council meeting, unless a special meeting is called before that.
As far as the search for a permanent manager, Henry admits is will be made more difficult by the lack of a state budget, which is putting a strain on the city's finances.
"The state has held back a $350,000 federal grant, that's not even their money, for housing renovations that we want to use the grant for. So, we don't have that. They're holding back our motor fuel tax and our gaming tax revenues. The Council has already started looking at the budget. We've already talked to department heads to say start looking for places to cut. And, we're at the point, which I never wanted to be, but was looking at cutting services that all of our citizens expect to have."
Henry says the Illinois Municipal League told him that cities should not expect to see that money because the state intends to keep it.
Carbondale is also in search of an interim fire chief. Mayor Henry says no action will be taken on that position until an interim city manager is hired.
