Lavonia To Start Search for New City Manager

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

The City of Lavonia will soon begin its search for a new city manager.

Current Lavonia City Manager Gary Fesperman has announced he plans to retire at the end of the year.

At a work session earlier this month, Lavonia City Council members discussed how to proceed with the search for Fesperman’s replacement.

Fesperman handed out copies of the requirements for the job to Lavonia Council members and Mayor Ralph Owens and recommended that they have someone in place by the summer.

“My recommendation is that we try to have somebody ready to go where I can work with them in September, October, November, and December,” he told the Council. “I’ve built in the budget five months worth of salary for a hiree. I’m going to have a lot to teach them and get them up to speed on.”

Fesperman became the City Manager in Lavonia in 1999.

He told the council whoever they hire will need to wear a lot of hats and be experienced in finance, city ordinances, grant writing, and have good people skills to name a few of the duties the job entails.

After more discussion, Lavonia’s council and mayor decided to begin advertising for a new city manager in April with a view towards having the new manager on the job July 1st.