The search for a new city manager for Fort Oglethorpe is on hold for at least a few months.

Mayor Judd Burkhart said the city plans to place advertisements for a replacement for fired City Manager Jim Dinley in July.

The council would go through a process of narrowing down the list of applicants, but Burkhart said he believes the consensus is to look for someone “close to home.”

Asked when Fort Oglethorpe might expect to have a new manager in place, Burkhart said, “You’re probably looking at 60 to 90 days (after the advertisements go out).”

That would mean anywhere from about September to October if the ads go out in July.

However, interim City Manager Ron Goulart said he believes the consensus on the council is to wait until after the November city elections to hire someone. The danger in hiring someone before the elections is that other candidates could replace Burkhart and council members Jane Moye and Richard Egeland and simply reverse the decision or be unhappy with it, he said.

“I think there’s a consensus that they want to wait until after the election,” he said of the council. “We could do it either way, but I just think from what I’ve been told, basically the feeling that I got was (to do it) after (the election) so the new people, whoever they might be, would have input on who they hire.”

Burkhart said the city would extend an invitation to candidates to provide input on choosing a new city manager if the decision is made before the election.

Goulart was city attorney before he was hired as interim city manager and he remains in both positions. He said he would not be able to remain the official city attorney if he were hired permanently as city manager because conflicts of interest could arise. However, that wouldn’t preclude him from doing most of the city’s legal work where conflicts don’t arise, he said.

“I don’t know (if I’ll apply for the job),” he said. “I probably will not but, you know, it’s sort of hard to evaluate at this point in time. I enjoy doing the job but my true love is to practice the law.”

Egeland, who said he has changed his mind and will run for another term, said he believes the council will wait until after the election to hire a city manager. He and Councilman Harold Silcox were the only members who voted against firing Dinley back in March.

“I’d be surprised if we had one before elections,” Egeland said. “I don’t see it happening.”

Silcox, who is also the city clerk, said he had suggested the council wait until after the election. He said he believes the tentative plan is to wait until after the first of the year to advertise for another city manager.

He also said he plans to look for the best-qualified candidate rather than focusing on candidates from the area.

On a separate issue, Goulart said he has no intention of firing any employees in the near future despite rumors to the contrary. Goulart said he would never fire anyone without cause and that there is no one he has in mind to fire at this time. One rumor is that city officials want to fire Police Chief Larry C. Black.

“There’s no truth to it,” Goulart said.

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