More than 90 people submitted applications for the Park City manager post, Mayor Dana Williams said on Thursday, a number that suggests there are likely fewer candidates than there were the last time a search was conducted for a city manager.

Williams did not provide a detailed number. Park City most recently conducted a city manager search in late 2002. That recruitment yielded 122 candidates.

The mayor said the applications were submitted by people from across the U.S. He was not sure if anyone from within the municipal ranks applied for the post.

The recruiter who is assisting the search this year is the same that was involved in 2002. Bobbi Peckham, who is with Sacramento, Calif.-based Peckham & McKenney, is leading the efforts for City Hall. She predicted early in the process there could be significantly fewer applications in 2012 than there were in 2002, saying the number could range between 60 and 80.

Peckham has said people who might have been candidates for the position could have been less interested in submitting their names amid the economic uncertainty. She has also said there has been a wave of retirements in the public sector and fewer people are choosing careers in public administration.

She said in September candidate pools for city manager positions have been decreasing.

Williams said he did not expect the number to reach more than 90 but said Park City is attractive even as "a small town in a flyover state."

"I think people realize there's a great quality of life and a great community to live in," he said.

A timeline drafted by the recruiter firm calls for Peckham to conduct an initial round of interviews from Nov. 1 until Nov. 5 followed by her recommendations on Nov. 6. Finalist interviews are anticipated from Nov. 11 until Nov. 13. A hiring is expected shortly afterward. The person is anticipated to start on Jan. 7. Williams and the Park City Council are expected to be heavily involved in the process.