Royston City Council to Narrow Down City Manager Applicants

The Royston City Council and Mayor David Jordan are taking the next step in their search for a new city manager.

Royston has been without a city manager since March when former manager Greg Scott resigned to take a position with the U.S. Air National Guard in Florida.

On Monday, Royston mayor David Jordan said the city has received about 19 applications for the job.

Jordan will meet in a called session with members of the Royston City Council Thursday evening to go over those applications.  Jordan said some are local, some are from across the State and some from other states.  The mayor and each council member has been reviewing the applications individually.

Jordan said he can tell from his initial review that many of the applicants will likely be ruled out.

“A lot of experienced folks have applied from all across the Southeast, but looking at our criteria, I can tell that some of them will not be able to meet the basic qualifications we’re looking for,” he said Monday.

According to Jordan, the City is looking for someone who understands not only how municipal government works, but how small town government works.

“Many folks apply because they see the ad come up, but they really don’t know anything about Royston and what the job entails and when they find out, they back off,” he said.

Jordan said whoever they choose must understand and appreciate the needs of Royston citizens.

“A lot of people think it’s a high-paying job, but it’s not. It’s a lot of hard work and frustration and it’s not big pay,” he said.

On Thursday, Jordan said the council hopes to narrow down the number of applications to a few finalists that they will then interview.

There is no specific timeline for hiring a new city manager, according to Jordan.