Lee County Commission discusses county manager search

LEESBURG — With Albany/Dougherty Planning Director Paul Forgey deciding not to take the offered role of Lee County Manager, Lee Commission members are reaching out to the Carl Vinson Institute, an affiliation of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, to help them fill the role which has been vacant since parting ways of Ron Rabun in November.

“We’re going to go back and review the resumes we already have on file,” Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge said. “We have also contacted the Carl Vinson Institute to see if they will help us come up with the names of prospective candidates. To be honest, I’ve also called a few people asking for names. Basically we are starting all over.”

The Commission held an executive session following its monthly work session Tuesday evening during which the county manager’s position was discussed.

Muggridge said later there was no timetable to name a new manager, but added, “I’d like to have seen it done two weeks ago. The members approved contracting the Institute.” Muggridge, however, said he’d rather handle the hiring locally.

“The problem with the Carl Vinson Institute is that we’d have to work on their time line, and can they cast a bigger net than we can?” Muggridge said. “I’d rather do this ourselves, I think it is vital to the health of our community. We need someone who can bring all our department heads together when they need to. We don’t have anyone in that executive level position right now and it’s hurting us.”

Meanwhile, the Lee County Commission held its monthly work session Tuesday night and discussed discussing several issues before the board, including FEMA buyouts of flood-prone properties along the Kinchafoonee Creek and updates on road projects which are currently underway.

Lee County Planning Director Matt Inman told the commission that 27 homes along the creek qualified for the buyouts, which include purchase of the homes and demolition costs.

“Of the 27 property owners we approached, 16 want to participate in the program,” Inman said. “We are waiting on responses from nine people and two turned us down. This list of 27 properties was generated by FEMA and not by the county.”

Inman added that as many 25 additional lots could be added to the list before an April 15 deadline to qualify for the buyouts.