BLOOMINGTON - About 40 people are expected to apply to be the next city manager for Bloomington. The due date for applications was Friday.

Mayor Steve Stockton said about 36 or 37 applications had been received as of Friday, and he expected a few more will come in early next week.

Bloomington is looking for a new city manager because Tom Hamilton announced he will retire in January. Hamilton, who has served as city manager since 1993, is among the city employees who have accepted an early retirement package.

The PAR Group, based in Lake Bluff, is conducting the search. The city is paying about $22,000 for the search.

Stockton said the executive search firm will narrow the candidates from the 40 or so expected applicants to about four to six choices.

The Bloomington City Council likely will meet in the next two to three weeks to review the candidates suggested by the PAR Group and begin interviews, he added.

The City Council also won't know the quality of the candidates until they see the narrowed list of candidates, the mayor added.

Stockton said the time remaining to hire someone before Hamilton retires is "tight."

"There is no guarantee we will have a candidate ready to start in early January," Stockton said. "It is too early to predict."

The city is offering a starting salary of $150,000, depending on the candidates' qualifications, according to the recruitment profile issued by the city and the PAR Group.

Education and experience sought by the city include a bachelor's degree in public administration, public policy, business administration or related field. A master's degree is preferred.

The city also is seeking a candidate with seven to 10 years of public management experience in a similar sized-community or larger, the recruitment profile said.

Hamilton is paid an annual salary of $138,810.

By comparison, Normal City Manager Mark Peterson makes an annual salary of $140,000, according to town records.