The Signal Mountain Town Council plans to begin discussing the hiring of a new town manager at its next work session Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. at Town Hall.
The discussion was prompted during the Feb. 10 town council meeting when Councilman Bill Wallace asked how the council plans to proceed following the termination of former town manager Chris Dorsey’s contract. The council voted 3-2 to fire Dorsey during the January town meeting.
Mayor Bill Lusk said he isn’t eager to delve into the hiring process right away.
“We went through a real process last time around and I’m not sure I personally have the appetite for that again,” he said, referring to the hiring process that brought Dorsey to the job last summer. The town had enlisted the help of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service as well as former interim town manager Lynn Wampler to help pick a new town manager, which ended up being Dorsey. “The other thing that concerns me is the potential financial impact to the town considering the severance arrangement with [Dorsey].”
After 90 days – or in mid-April – Dorsey will stop receiving severance pay, Lusk said.