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Opelika commission extends interim city manager Shamika Lawson through Sept. 1, 2025
Summary
After commissioners debated length and overlap for a future city manager, the City of Opelika extended Shamika Lawson’s interim appointment to Sept. 1, 2025, by a 5-0 vote.
The City of Opelika Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the appointment of Shamika Lawson as interim city manager through Sept. 1, 2025.
The extension was approved after commissioners debated how long an interim appointment should run and whether a longer term was needed to provide stability during the budget and audit cycles. The motion to set the end date at Sept. 1 passed 5-0.
Commissioners speaking during the discussion said they wanted to avoid repeated leadership turnover during crucial fiscal work. Vice Mayor Kelly urged a time frame that would “get us through this really fiscal year and the budget process,” recommending “nothing earlier than Sept. 1” so the interim manager can complete audits and the budget submission and reply cycle. Commissioner Bass said she favored a longer period to avoid frequent restarts; she asked the commission to consider 18 months but later accepted the Sept. 1 date as a compromise.
Several commissioners emphasized that extending the interim appointment did not bar the commission or the interim manager from making a different decision later. The commission’s clerk recorded the roll-call vote as: Commissioner Ervin — yes; Vice Mayor Kelly — yes; Commissioner Santiago — yes; Commissioner Bass — yes; Mayor Taylor — yes. The clerk announced, “Motion passes 5-0.”
The resolution to extend Lawson’s appointment was sponsored by the commission and was moved and seconded on the floor before the roll-call vote. The commission did not adopt any separate terms or a new employment contract at the meeting; it extended the current interim appointment to the September date.
Commissioners also discussed, without deciding tonight, whether to pursue overlap between an incoming permanent manager and the interim manager to ensure continuity during the next budget cycle. No formal direction beyond the extension motion was adopted.
Shamika Lawson continues to serve as interim city manager under the existing appointment terms through the new Sept. 1, 2025 date.
