The Louisville City Council chose a candidate from California for its city manager job on Monday and plans to work on employment agreement negotiations.

The council unanimously agreed to conditionally approve Diana Langley for the job, pending employment agreement conditions and a contract. Mayor Chris Leh and Councilmember Judi Kern will help City Attorney Kathleen Kelly negotiate the contract.

The council plans to approve the employment agreement contract at a future meeting. Interim City Manager Samma Fox is expected to return to her role as deputy city manager once Langley is formally appointed. Langley is currently the city manager in Yuba City, Calif.

The advertised salary range for the job was $232,459.22 to $330,186.98, according to Grace Johnson, Louisville communications manager. The salary will be part of contract negotiations with the council.

During the Monday meeting, Leh said that while the council approves and sets policies, city staff is in charge of enforcing and following those policies. Leh said that the city manager ensures the city runs smoothly. He was looking for a leadership style that would motivate and empower staff to do their best work, who can learn from their mistakes and can collaborate with the council.

“The decision of who to hire as city manager is probably the single most important decision a council can make,” Leh said.The council all agreed that all four candidates interviewed for the role were highly skilled and qualified and would all fit in with the city.

Residents were able to meet and chat with the candidates during an event Jan. 22. The council interviewed the candidates the next day. Candidate Jason Rogers withdrew Jan. 24 for reasons not shared.

Kern said choosing a candidate has been a “lovely, difficult decision.” Kern and Councilmember Barbara Hamlington said Langley’s calm and tactical leadership style will be a great fit for the city.

Councilmember Josh Cooperman said it is important to him to get a city manager that the city staff prefers, as the staff will be the ones primarily interacting with the person. He said he appreciates Langley’s experience as a civil engineer, and that she worked her way up to being a city manager. He said this gives her deep knowledge about what it is like to be a staff member.

Councilmember Dietrich Hoefner said all of the candidates were great, but Langley stood out to him. He said interviewing Langley was like interviewing someone who already lives in Louisville and understands the city.