Villa Rica council stalls $24,000 consultant hire as debate over city manager powers persists
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Summary
Mayor Leslie McPherson and council members debated whether to hire a $24,000 consultant to run a permanent city manager search while state law and recent charter changes leave the manager reporting to the mayor; council voted unanimously to table the consultant contract to the March meeting.
Mayor Leslie McPherson and members of the Villa Rica City Council engaged in an extended debate Feb. 10 over whether to hire Sumter Local Government Consulting to help conduct a search for a permanent city manager.
The dispute centered on recent changes to the city charter enacted by state legislation in 2024 (identified in the meeting as House Bill 1487) that, council members said, left the city manager serving “at the pleasure of the mayor.” Several council members said they worried a $24,000 consultant could recruit a finalist who would be hired under the current charter language and therefore report only to the mayor, not the full council.
Councilman Warmoth argued against moving forward under the present charter, saying, “To enter into a contract with a consultant would be a waste of taxpayer money as well as time and effort for all involved.” He and other councilmembers urged the body to ask the state legislature to revert the charter language to the 2018 text that restored hiring authority to the council.
Mayor Leslie McPherson said the city needs a permanent city manager and defended the consultant approach as a way to solicit input from all council members and department heads; she said, “We need a city manager. A permanent city manager, and we need it now.” The mayor also said consultants typically interview elected officials and staff individually and use that input to identify candidates who fit the council’s collective priorities.
After extended discussion about the legal implications of the charter language and the city’s recruiting challenges, Councilman Montahan moved to table the consultant item until the March regular session to allow more time for consensus building and to track any state legislative action. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
What’s next: The consultant contract decision and related charter questions will return to the council in March; council members said they also expect continued discussion and possible legislative outreach about charter language that governs hiring authority for the city manager.