Former councilman to fill city vacancy
Former Idaho Falls City Councilman David Smith has been hired to fill a vacancy in the city’s Municipal Services Department.
Although Smith will report to the City Controller, Idaho Falls Power (IFP). The salary and benefits for the position fall under the city’s enterprise fund.
Smith has more than 30 years of accounting, auditing, tax, and business consulting experience. He was appointed to the city council in 2015 and served until 2017. During that time he served on the Policy Makers Council for the American Public Power Association.
Bear Prairie, Assistant General Manager for IFP represented the utility on the interview panel. He stated that, “Mr. Smith’s accounting expertise, experience and depth of knowledge stood well above the other applicants. We were fortunate to have someone with his credentials apply. We interviewed other qualified CPA’s, but no one had his level of experience.”
IFP and Municipal Services began evaluating the accounting needs for the utility, including long-term needs, in the summer of 2017. The team identified the desired path for recruiting a senior accountant in early October. “The city does not have a policy with respect to hiring past City Council members. Therefore, the standard hiring protocols were followed, with the objective of hiring the most qualified candidate,” Prarie said.
