AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin City Council is expected to vote Thursday on whether to move forward with a search firm that will help the City recruit and hire its next city manager.

City of Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said Tuesday that the City received 12 applications from search firms but ultimately decided to move forward with Mosaic Public Partners. Council will have final say on whether the City can move forward with that selection.

Mosaic Public Partners has previously helped the City with executive searches, including the hiring of former Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, the mayor said.

The firm estimated it will take roughly 3-4 months for it to submit an offer to its top candidate after it gets started. A city manager could be named as soon as a month after that, the mayor said.

Still, the mayor said they’ve built flexibility into the timeline to account for holidays, not disrupting the budget process and other unknowns.

“We’re not tying ourselves down, but it is important for us to have these sorts of time frames in our head and be able to move forward,” Watson said in a work session Tuesday.

The City is looking for its next city manager after City Council voted to part ways with former City Manager Spencer Cronk earlier this year. Jesús Garza is serving as the interim city manager until the role is filled.