In less than a week, the five finalists selected for the Albert Lea city manager position will be in town to meet the Albert Lea City Council, department heads and the community.

While in Albert Lea, the finalists — Dean Torreson, city administrator of Macomb, Ill.; Jim Norman, interim city administrator of Afton; Alan Lanning, city manager of Castle Pines North, Colo.; David Torgler, former city administrator of Leavenworth, Wash.; and Greg Sund, former city administrator of Spearfish, S.D. — will have a busy schedule.

Friday

The candidates and their spouses will first meet with consultants from The Brimeyer Group before going on a tour of the city at 10:15 a.m., according to a working agenda provided by the city.

At 11:30 a.m., there will be a question-and-answer session about the school district, followed by lunch at noon with department heads.

At 12:45 p.m., there will be a question-and-answer session about housing, and then from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., the council will meet individually with candidates.

From 4 to 5:15 p.m., there will be a public reception at City Hall in the council chambers, which will give the community the opportunity to meet the finalists and ask questions on a more informal basis, aside from the interview process.

At 6 p.m., the finalists will have dinner with the council members and their spouses.

Saturday will be the day for interviews.

Saturday

At 7:45 a.m. Saturday, the consultant will meet with all interview teams — the department heads, community panel and the council — before interviews begin at 8 a.m.

Albert Lea Mayor Mike Murtaugh said the public is invited to listen in on whatever interviews they would like. Interviews will be in various rooms of City Hall.

At 12:35 p.m., there will be a debriefing with the interview teams, and then at 1 p.m. the council will review results of the three interviews and discuss the selection.

Murtaugh said when the council is deliberating to make its final decision, this will also be open to the public.

A decision likely could come that afternoon.

About 70 people applied for the position, which was advertised with a salary range of $83,663 to $108,762.

The search comes after the February departure of former City Manager Victoria Simonsen, who began a new job as town manager in Lyons, Colo.

She had been in the position for six years.