City Hall had received upward of 24 applications for the vacant chief building official position through early in the week, a figure that will almost certainly rise by the mid-January deadline for people to submit their names for the job.

Kim Leier, who is the human resources manager for City Hall, did not provide details about the people who had applied.

She declined to discuss whether any of the applications filed through early in the week were submitted by people already working in the Building Department. It has long been anticipated that there would be applications from inside the department, but there has been little public chatter in the weeks since the job opening was posted.

Leier said the number of applications could climb quickly after New Year’s.

“I am anticipating we will get the majority of our resumes after the first of the year because of the holiday,” Leier said.

The application deadline is Jan. 14.

Leier said officials will not begin screening the applications until the deadline passes. Her department will ensure the people who apply meet the minimum requirements for the position. A City Hall team will then review the applications that meet those requirements.

The field will be whittled down, and Leier anticipates perhaps fewer than 10 people will be interviewed. Park City Manager Tom Bakaly will be involved in some fashion during the interviews and then conduct a final round of interviews, she said, hoping for a timeline that puts the final interviews in early February. The hiring decision rests with Bakaly.

Leier said a job offer could be made in March. A start date depends on whether the person selected currently works for City Hall or is from outside the municipal government.

That schedule appears to be timed to have the chief building official seated by the start of the traditional construction season. Depending on the weather, the construction industry normally becomes busier by May.

The position pays between $68,979 and $90,925 depending on qualifications. City Hall wants to hire someone with at least 10 years in the field, with at least two of the years being spent as a chief building official, an assistant chief building official or a supervisor.

The person will succeed Ron Ivie, who spent 30 years as the chief building official ending in mid-2010 and is a legend among building inspectors in Utah.

The next chief building official will arrive as Park City’s construction numbers have fallen sharply from the record-breaking years prior to the recession.