Homewood committee interviews finalists for interim city manager as council shifts to council–manager form

A five-member committee of the Homewood City Council interviewed finalists for an interim city manager role on the committee's schedule Thursday, pressing candidates on budgeting, human resources and managing a transition as the city prepares to switch to a council–manager form of government on Nov. 1, 2025.

The committee repeatedly emphasized the need for an interim executive who can “serve as the bridge between where we are today and the future,” Barry Smith, council member for Ward 4 and a committee member, told candidates. Smith said the council passed “an ordinance at last night's council meeting” authorizing the hire; he and other members described a goal of having someone in place by March 1 and explained how state law allows an interim hire to remain for four months after the new council is sworn in.

Why it matters: Homewood is shifting from an 11-member council to a four-member council plus an elected mayor and expects the interim manager to provide continuity, centralize operations—particularly human resources—and take the lead on the 2025–26 budget cycle. The city has about 26,000 residents, roughly 350 employees and a fiscal 2024–25 budget that committee members described as “just south of $70,000,000.” Staff and council members told candidates they expect the interim manager to start meeting department heads immediately, coordinate a five-year capital program and act as…