The search for a new City Administrator has been narrowed down to eight individuals.

City Administrator John Rusch reported the names of the eight individual candidates for the position that Rusch will vacate in early July during a closed session meeting with the Tomah City Council on Tuesday. Rusch said that letters will be sent out to the finalists on Monday.

Rusch hopes to have the letters answered by the end of May and said that a special City Council meeting will be held to review them and narrow down the field of candidates to three or four that City officials will interview. The interview process should take place by mid-June, but Rusch said that he will still be available if it stretches further into the summer.

“Hopefully we will have them narrowed down by the second week of June, but it could be off by a couple of weeks,” Rusch said. “I am going on a cruise on July 5, but after that, it is not like I am moving out of the state. If they need help, I will be available.”

Rusch, along with Mayor Ed Thompson, City Clerk JoAnn Cram and City Council President George Wright each individually scored a list of candidates earlier this month, based on education, experience, and other governmental factors. The individual scores were added up and the top eight were chosen.

“I don’t think it can be any fairer than that,” Rusch said.

Rusch’s last official day as City Administrator is July 5. He announced his retirement in December, and was elected to the Monroe County Board in April.