Two headhunting firms proposing to find the Haines Borough a new police chief have submitted bids to manager Mark Earnest, who will forward them to the borough’s personnel committee for review Monday.

The committee will meet at 1 p.m. to decide whether to recommend the assembly hire one of the firms in lieu of using the borough’s traditional advertising method.

Minnesota-based Brimeyer Fursman LLC, and Washington-based Prothman Company recently submitted proposals to the borough, outlining their track records, processes and fees.

For police chief recruitment, three on-site meetings and a two-year guarantee, Prothman charges $18,500. It also offers two alternate options for smaller communities, including a $16,500 package with two on-site meetings instead of three, and a $15,000 option with one on-site meeting and a one-year guarantee.

Brimeyer Fursman charges $15,500 for developing the position profile, recruiting and screening candidates, and performing interviews and background checks for the top five candidates. The firm tacks on up to $7,900 in expenses for travel, advertising and supplies.

Manager Earnest said he understands the merits of hiring a headhunting firm. “I think we’ve found two companies that have a good track record and have experience in Alaska. They’re smaller firms that work better with smaller communities and really understand the importance of getting a good idea, a good handle of what the priorities of the community are,” he said.

On the other hand, the services are expensive, Earnest said. “It’s $15,000, $20,000, and I’m not sure at the end of the day if that process is going to produce anything better than if we did it on our own,” he said.

Mayor Stephanie Scott said she supports hiring a firm, even if it costs the borough in the short term.

“I believe it is worth the expense to engage with an agency, because I think we can learn something from the procedure; something that we can apply independently in the future,” Scott said.

Earnest is still waiting on a proposal from Soldotna-based Russell Consulting LLC.

Brimeyer Fursman recently worked with the city of Petersburg to find the municipality a new police chief.