The Porterdale City Council narrowly approved (3-2) the contract for an interim city manager at the regular monthly meeting Monday.
The three-month contract is for the services of Frank Sherrill, who will receive compensation of $5,000 a month.
City Attorney Tim Chambers told the council he had reviewed the contract and that it was sound legally.
"But, like any contract it lacks the ability to predict and determine the future, so I can’t guarantee the council’s happiness," Chambers said.
Council members Linda Finger and Mike Harper voted no on the approval of the contract saying they did not have adequate time to review the contract as it was revised and signed by Sherrill Monday morning.
Mayor Bobby Hamby said Sherrill was selected over two other candidates because of his years of experience in public service.
Sherrill is president of Hightower Consulting Engineers in Social Circle, where he served as mayor for 17 years from 1979 to 1997. He currently serves on the town’s planning and zoning commission and Industrial Development Authority. He acted as the president of the Georgia Municipal Association in 1988, and served on the Georgia Environmental Council from 1992 to 1997, serving as chair in 1992, and has been a part of water supply planning by the Northeast Regional Development Center.He has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southern Engineering Company of Georgia, the Jasper County Water and Sewerage Authority, and most recently served as the interim city manager in Monticello. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and a MBA from Georgia State University.
Monday’s meeting was the last one in Porterdale for outgoing city manager Tom Fox. Mayor Hamby presented Fox with a plaque and thanked him for his 13 years of service to the city first as a police officer, then as chief of police and finally as Porterdale’s first city manager under the revised charter.
"He was instrumental in establishing many of the functions and protocols that are currently in place," said Hamby of Fox.
Fox has accepted a position as director of public safety for the city of Social Circle.
"Mr. Fox will continue to be a friend to the city of Porterdale," Hamby said.
In other news from Monday night’s Porterdale City Council meeting:
• The council accepted a donation of $590 from the Friends of Porterdale and the Porterdale Woman’s Club for repairs to the star on the water tower.
• The council unanimously voted to approve a resolution stating the town would participate in the Newton County Leadership Collaborative.
• The council unanimously voted to allow the mayor to send a letter to the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission requesting help in applying for Community Development Block Grant funds to repair aging sewer lines in the city.
• Tickets for the Valentine’s Day Sock-Hop are on sale for $25 at city hall. Proceeds will go toward planning other downtown events. A community Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. April 3 in Yellow River Park with four churches currently signed up to participate. Downtown Manager Sandy Fowler said she hopes to have a sunrise service take place Easter morning as well.
• Councilman Robert Foxworth thanked teenage brothers Michael and James Hobbs for donating approximately 12 bags of aluminum cans to the city in its effort to raise funds for town Christmas decorations.
