City Manager Andrew Hyatt and Mayor Brent Lambert
East Ridge City Manager Andrew Hyatt may be headed for Florida.
The Neptune Beach City Council has called a special meeting on June 11 to interview and select a new city manager. The public will be allowed to speak at a public hearing during the session.
Mr. Hyatt, who has been at East Ridge since October of 2013, was earlier one of the Neptune Beach top 10 finalists. Then at a May 26 meeting, three of the five council members, including the vice mayor, said they favored Mr. Hyatt.
The commissioners will be naming the successor to Jim Jarboe, who had held the position for 11 years.
Mr. Hyatt had little comment during special sessions by the East Ridge Council on Saturday and Sunday, The council in recent days has faced two large unexpected expenses in trying to finalize the process for Bass Pro Shop to build at Exit 1.
The city first learned it would have to pay the state an unexpected $603,000 for a fire hall site at the development. Council members said they should have been told earlier about that expense.
Councilman Marc Gravitt also said council members should have been advised about the possibility of using a bridge loan through the IDB for the last $1 million to be paid to the Exit 1 development. Instead, the council had to draw down the $1 million from the fund balance - cutting it to a two-month supply.
Questioned by Councilman Gravitt on Sunday, developer John Healy insisted that Bass Pro Shop still plans to build in East Ridge.
Mr. Hyatt was previously the city manager at Fairview, Tn.
He was given a raise to $100,000 by the East Ridge City Council last year.