A nationwide search will begin in the coming weeks to find a replacement for departing City Manager David Corliss, and longtime City Commissioner Mike Amyx will lead the search committee.

City commissioners at their Tuesday evening meeting agreed that Amyx should lead the committee that will vet applications for the city manager position, which is the top executive position at City Hall. Commissioners agreed that Commissioner Leslie Soden, who was the top vote-winner in the April elections, also should represent the commission on the committee.

“We need to find exactly the right person to help lead this community into the future,” Amyx said. “This will be one of the top five most influential people in this community.”

Corliss is leaving at the end of this month to take the town manager position in Castle Rock, Colo. Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard has been chosen to serve as interim city manager, but Tuesday’s discussion was the most detailed yet about how the commission intends to fill the position on a permanent basis.

Commissioners did not set a timeline for the search process to be completed. Commissioners hope to make a decision in the next three weeks or so on a consulting firm that can assist with the search. City Commissioner Stuart Boley also said he wanted to have conversations with officials at the highly regarded School of Public Administration at Kansas University to get their assistance with the search.

“I’m very interested in hearing what they have to say,” Boley said.

Mayor Jeremy Farmer said he believes it is important for the city to have a broad-based search committee. While no appointments were made — other than Amyx and Soden — Farmer recommended that members of the school district, the county, KU, Haskell and multiple members of the city staff be a part of the committee.

“And I’m not just talking about staff members from the fourth floor of City Hall,” Farmer said, saying he wanted a good mix of white-collar and blue-collar positions from throughout the city organization.

The search committee is expected to make recommendations on finalists for the city manager position, but ultimately the City Commission will make the final decision on the hire.

Commissioners on Tuesday briefly discussed what they were looking for in a new city manager. Experience in strategic planning will be important, and also an ability to offer needed advice on complicated matters, several commissioners said.

“I’m looking for someone who is going to challenge us, and someone who makes sure we understand the pitfalls of going down a particular path,” Amyx said.

In other business, commissioners:

• Heard a presentation from members of the faith-based group Justice Matters on the need for an affordable housing trust fund. More than a 100 members of the organization showed up at City Hall to show their support for a fund that would help eliminate waiting lists for transitional, temporary housing in the community.

Commissioners said they were very interested in creating a housing trust fund, but stopped short of making any funding commitments for a new fund. Instead, commissioners agreed that the next step would be to attend a local conference in mid-July that will bring in multiple experts on affordable housing trust funds that have been created in other communities.

• On a 4-1 vote, commissioners approved a rezoning that opens the door for a bar/bistro to be located at 804 Pennsylvania St. in the Warehouse Arts District. The rezoning will allow the owners of the property to apply for a special use permit that would allow a bar/bistro use to open on the site. Several neighbors had opposed the request. They want any future establishment to be required to make at least 55 percent of its sales in food rather than liquor. Soden was the lone commissioner to vote against the rezoning.

• Deferred for two weeks a discussion about whether Black Hills Energy should be allowed to demolish its Quonset hut-style building at 620 E. Eighth St.