The city for months has been struggling to recruit a director for its Redevelopment Authority, leading to the recent suggestion that City Manager Christopher McGuire take on the task, in addition to his regular duties — but officials agreed Friday that a services agreement between the city and the authority must be in place before that happens.

A national search for an RA director has netted qualified candidates, but none were satisfied with the $100,000 to $110,000 annual salary offered, while candidates who would have accepted that amount weren’t qualified, according to McGuire.

McGuire is capable and willing to do the additional work, but laying out the responsibilities on both sides should logically come before formalizing his additional role, which would carry a stipend for the extra work, according to officials.

Authority solicitor Patrick Fanelli, city solicitor Mike Wagner and McGuire will draft the services agreement, which will likely be available for approval before the authority’s September meeting, if not sooner, officials said.

Authority member Ron Beatty argued for hiring McGuire first, then drafting the agreement.

Better to have the agreement laying out the terms “before we know what we are buying,” said authority Chairman Richard Fiore.

The agreement would “hash out” “what the authority owes the city and what we can expect (in return) in staff support,” Fiore said.

The authority is already dependent on many city staffers, including McGuire, for many functions.

McGuire’s term as interim director would be a “bridging strategy,” as the city continues to pursue a permanent director, McGuire said.

A stipend of $3,000 a month for McGuire was suggested.

His base salary at the time of his hire around the beginning of the year was $150,000.

The extra money isn’t a significant issue for him, McGuire said.

But maintaining the authority’s recent activist momentum is a big deal, McGuire said.

McGuire should be compensated for the extra work, said authority member Jessica Sprouse.

There hasn’t been an RA director for generations, but the agency needs one now, having recently adopted a policy of identifying blighted houses early, before they need to be razed, then renovating them, to bolster the property tax base.

When the authority eventually hires a full-time director, it could begin weaning itself of dependence on city staff, McGuire suggested.

Mayor Matt Pacifico wondered whether McGuire will have the “bandwidth” to take on the additional role.

Pacifico suggested that new Community Development Director Eric Luchansky might do it.

Luchansky is capable, McGuire said.

But it might be best not to “overwhelm” Luchansky just as he was getting accustomed to his new responsibilities, McGuire said.