WATERVILLE — The City Council is considering letting voters decide whether to eliminate the requirement that a city manager must live in the city, as a way to draw more qualified candidates for the position.

The council Wednesday went into executive session to consider a second round of applicants for the position and decided not to interview any of them, according to Mayor Mike Morris.

“During our discussion, Don Gerrish, who is leading our search, reiterated that he has received several inquiries about the residency requirement with each round of postings,” Morris said in an email to department heads and others Friday. “Mr. Gerrish believes there are many qualified candidates within the state who would be interested in Waterville; however, at this stage in their careers, selling a home and relocating is not feasible for them.”

Councilors several weeks ago interviewed four candidates for the position but did not come to consensus, so they decided to re-advertise it. The council on Wednesday considered applications from 11 candidates who live both inside and outside of Maine, Morris said Monday. He told city officials in the email Friday that the group didn’t prove to be any stronger than the last.

After discussing the manager residency requirement, councilors asked the city administration to draft language for a referendum to be placed on the November ballot to see if voters would agree to removing the provision from the city charter. Morris said Monday that the council will consider voting to put it on the ballot.

He said there will be further discussions, as well as opportunities for the public to ask questions or express concerns about the proposal before November.

The plan now is to have interim City Manager Cornell Knight remain in his position and re-advertise the job again in September.

Gerrish started helping the city search for a new manager when he worked for Eaton Peabody Consulting Services of Augusta, a firm that announced it would cease operations. Meanwhile, Gerrish formed his own firm, Municipal Consulting Services LLC, and is continuing the Waterville search.

The city hired Eaton Peabody in February for $8,000 after then-City Manager Bryan Kaenrath announced he would resign in May to become city administrator for Lewiston.

The city hired Knight in April to serve as interim city manager.