Prospective interim city manager Vernon Girth outlines budget, disaster-response approach to Fairview commissioners

Vernon Girth, the prospective interim city manager for Fairview, told the Board of Commissioners at an April 2 workshop that he would focus on supporting staff, clarifying the budget and prioritizing capital projects during what he expects to be a part-time interim assignment.

Girth, who until recently was assistant city administrator for community and economic development in Franklin, Tennessee, described nearly three decades of municipal work including redevelopment of a former Chrysler brownfield in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and building a city center in Vernon Hills, Illinois. "The budget is front and center," he said, adding that the municipal budget "tells the citizens who you are and what you're going to do." He told commissioners he met department directors the day before and would rely on staff recommendations to frame the commission's decisions.

The commission opened the meeting to questions about immediate challenges, project prioritization and Girth's available hours. Commissioners said the interim assignment discussed so far is roughly 16 hours per week. Girth said he would make that time effective by holding focused work sessions before voting meetings, asking staff to present prioritized requests and returning clear recommendations to the board. "No surprises" at voting meetings, he said, helps staff prepare and the board make timely decisions.

On capital projects, Girth recommended staff present data-driven priority lists and the commission decide which projects to fund. He cited Franklin's approach, where a list of more than 100 capital projects is whittled to about a dozen each funding cycle. "The cost of development... only goes up. So the longer a community waits, the more costly it's going to be," he said.

Girth described experience responding to the 2010 Franklin flood and said federal Disaster Recovery funding played an important role in that response. He cautioned that grants and federal programs take time to apply for and may demand staff capacity that a small municipality must weigh carefully before committing resources to an application process.

Several audience members raised concerns tied to the recent dismissal of the prior city manager. An audience speaker warned that some residents remain "pissed off" and said the firing "was done very unethically," urging Girth to be prepared for a contentious environment; the speaker was not named in the transcript. Miss Cook, a Fairview resident, asked how the city will bridge immediate storm-recovery costs until FEMA reimbursements arrive. Girth responded that cities initially use internal funds and reserves while documenting time and resources for FEMA reimbursement and that staff and auditors would advise on borrowing and cash-flow options.

Commissioners also discussed the timeline for hiring a permanent manager. Girth said he understood the commission plans to run a search and said he would serve as long as needed; commissioners estimated a national search could take roughly 8 to 12 months and indicated they might ask Girth to help lead the search process.

The workshop recessed after commissioners and Girth finished questions; the board planned to continue with the regular meeting at 7:15 p.m.