The search for Bremerton’s new Public Works director began Thursday.

The city is searching nationwide for candidates and hopes to fill the position in the next three months. According to the city’s job description, the salary for the new Public Works director will be somewhere between $108,689 and $132,427, depending on qualifications.

Mayor Patty Lent fired former Public Works and Utilities Director Phil Williams March 2 because she wanted the city’s largest department to “go in a different direction.”

Lent also wants to bring a contracted consultant on board by April 1 to evaluate the operations of the department. The consultant would work for 60 days to help streamline the department’s operations and would cost the city no more than $20,000, Lent said at a City Council study session Wednesday.

Some City Council members expressed disappointment with the way Lent replaced former Director of Financial Services Andy Parks in January, selecting former Kitsap County Treasurer Barbara Stephenson without publicly posting the job and consulting the council. According to the city charter, Lent does not have to ask for Council input on hiring decisions. However, she told the Council Wednesday that she would involve council members in the interview process when six to eight finalists are selected.

City Engineer Mike Mecham is the interim Public Works director.