The Newport City Council on July 21 authorized the mayor to finalize a contract offer for the citys financial and office administrator position and to present the offer to Carrie (Carrie/Terry) Schultz.

After a brief executive session, the council voted to direct the mayor to work with city attorneys to draw up the employment contract and make the formal offer. One council member recused themself from the vote; the motion carried with the remaining councilors voting in favor.

When invited to speak, Carrie Schultz described her background: "My work history is primarily in market research for the past 8 or 9 years ... doing a lot of project management, management of budgets, management of different departments, working on various projects of various budget sizes," and said she was "excited about the opportunity."

Why this matters: The financial and office administrator will play a central role in day-to-day finance and administrative operations; hiring a qualified candidate is an immediate priority given the councils ongoing audit and reconciliation work.

What's next: The mayor will finalize contract language with legal counsel and present it to the candidate. A start date will follow completion of required notice to the candidate's current employer; the candidate indicated a planned vacation and will finalize start details upon return.