Homewood City Council approves ordinance hiring Glenn T. Adams as city manager

The Homewood City Council on March 3, 2025, approved Ordinance No. 2928 authorizing the mayor to execute a city manager employment contract with Glenn T. Adams, voting 10-0 on both unanimous-consent approval to proceed and final adoption of the ordinance.

Council members said the council’s candidate review produced two well-qualified finalists and that the mayor had discussed compensation and start dates with each. Mayor said both candidates were seeking a salary near the midpoint of the advertised range, paid time off, a city cellphone and a vehicle, and that the city already has a vehicle available for the position. The mayor said one candidate could start almost immediately while the other, identified as “Dave,” indicated he would likely need about 30 days to relocate from his current position in Chicago and also requested moving expenses and a severance provision if not retained past October. The mayor described the severance request as ‘‘an extra hundred thousand dollars or something’’ and said the council might be reluctant to approve that cost.

The council voted first by unanimous consent to authorize proceeding with the employment contract; the clerk announced the consent passed 10-0. Councilor Smith moved to offer the city manager position to the candidate the committee recommended; Councilor Aleman seconded the motion. Later the council formally moved to adopt the ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute the contract; that motion was seconded by Councilor Ollivan and passed 10-0. The ordinance text read into the record states the city had solicited applications for the city manager position and that the council determined it would be in the public interest to authorize the mayor to execute the attached City Manager Employment Contract (Exhibit A) with Glenn T. Adams. The ordinance says it becomes effective immediately upon adoption and mayoral approval or otherwise becoming law.

Council members and committee participants thanked the screening committee, staff, department heads and the mayor for their work arranging interviews and vetting candidates. Council member Sanders said, “the 2 men that we ended up with were both supremely qualified,” and other members urged planning for a transition so the incoming manager and the next council can succeed. The ordinance was recorded as Ordinance No. 2928.

The formal action authorizes the mayor to finalize and sign the employment contract and to take related steps to secure Adams’s services under the contract terms. Details such as the effective start date, moving-expense specifics and any severance terms referenced during discussion were discussed but not specified in the ordinance text read aloud; the mayor indicated some items (moving expenses, severance amount) remained to be negotiated or approved according to applicable rules and council preference. The council adjourned after the vote.