After one hour of deliberation, the mayor and city council members agreed Saturday to extend a contract to Jim Hurm for the position of Austin city administrator.

The contract has not been written up yet, and Hurm has not officially accepted the position, but he said during his interview that he is impressed with Austin and is very interested in the job.

One of Hurm's selling points was his extensive work in grant writing. He is currently the executive director of the Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council, an organization that covers 10 counties in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota and works to create development in the region. In that position, he writes about one grant per week.

"He may be able to get us money that the other people can't," city council member Lynn Koch said.

Council member Tracey Chamberlain agreed and mentioned that Hurm has worked with U.S. legislators of three states, so he is familiar with people in Washington.

Mayor Bonnie Rietz said she thought Hurm would work well with other city employees and the council.

"He said he would be a facilitator with the staff and team leader rather then telling them what to do," Rietz said.

The biggest issue that Hurm will be dealing with is the upcoming budget crisis. Hurm said working closely with Director of Administrative Services Tom Dankert would be a top priority when he started. Hurm holds an optimistic view of the problem.

"He told me that we need to see the current situation as an opportunity rather than as a curse," Chamberlain said.

Hurm's contract will probably be for around $85,000 a year, but the details have not been worked out yet.

Jim Brimeyer, President of The Brimeyer Group and consultant in the search, is working on a letter of agreement, which City Attorney David Hoversten will use to create a contract to send to Hurm.

Rietz said she hoped they could approve the decision at the City Council meeting Monday night, but that depends on how quickly the contract is written and whether there are any concerns from Hurm's side.

Hurm has held two previous city administrator positions -- in Tracy from 1979 to 1982, and in Shorewood from 1991 to 2000.

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com