Billings City Administrator Chris Kukulski offered job in small Michigan town

Billings City Administrator Chris Kukulski has been offered a job in Harbor Springs, Michigan, a small vacation town of around 1,300 people in the northern part of the state.

He interviewed for the position in person on March 14, according to the city of Harbor Springs’ website.

Kukulski has served as the city administrator of Billings since 2018 and has a long history of public service in Montana. Prior to taking the role in Billings, he served as city manager of both Bozeman and Kalispell.

City council member Denis Pitman said he was grateful to Kukulski for his service to Billings and said the announcement was not a surprise, as Kukulski had been open about his search for a job closer to his family in Michigan.

Originally from eastern Michigan, Kukulski graduated from Western Michigan University and began his career in public service as the Village Manager of Jonesville, Michigan in 1996. He was previously a finalist for a similar role in Ottawa County, Michigan in September.

“This isn’t just a stop off, this is the place we want to finish our lives,” Kukulski said at the time.

Moving forward, Pitman explained that if Kukulski officially leaves his Billings position, an interim city administrator would likely be appointed and the city council would then formally open the position to applicants.

A search committee would be formed, Pitman added, to conduct the search for Kukulski’s replacement. All 11 council members would be involved in the process.

"This position is very important so it'll be prudent of us to take our time and really go through all of our options," Pitman said.