New Hope police chief drops bid to assume city manager position as well

The search is on for a new city manager in New Hope, where the police chief has decided he does not want to do both jobs.

Tim Hoyt was appointed the north metro suburb's interim city manager when the position opened in June. Since then, he has held a dual role overseeing both the Police Department and day-to-day operations at City Hall.

The interim arrangement, approved by the City Council, was set to expire in February as city leaders studied how much money they could save by having one person do both jobs.

This week, Hoyt said he no longer wants to be considered for the permanent city manager role and will remain police chief full time.

"My heart is in law enforcement, and remaining solely in my role as police chief allows me to continue to build on the progress the New Hope Police Department has made in building relationships, forming partnerships and earning trust in the New Hope community," he said.

Hoyt will continue to do both jobs until a successor is found. The city plans to hire DDA Human Resources to begin recruiting and screening applicants and coordinating finalist interviews, said City Clerk Valerie Leone.

The goal is to fill the position by June, she said.

DDA is the same firm that neighboring Crystal used when it recently hired its new city manager, Adam Bell. The firm is proposing New Hope pay $23,000 for its services.

Hoyt has been with the New Hope police since 2006 and was promoted to chief two years ago. He was tapped to serve as acting city manager after Kirk McDonald retired in June. Hoyt said he became interested in the city manager role while working with McDonald and finding they had similar visions for the city.

It initially appeared the council was poised to remove the interim tag from Hoyt's title and allow him to hold both high-profile positions. The council approved a resolution that would have had Hoyt serve 51% of his time as police chief and 49% as city manager, allowing him to keep his police pension instead of shifting to the pension offered to city employees.

By combining both jobs, the city projected it could save about $150,000 a year.

New Hope may have been the first city in Minnesota to have one person doing both jobs. But Hoyt notified the city in early January that he was withdrawing his candidacy.

"After extensive consideration and looking to the future at my professional goals and what makes the most sense for me personally, I have decided not to pursue the permanent city manager position," he said in a written statement. "It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of New Hope. I am confident that the New Hope City Council will select the best candidate for the role of city manager."