City Manager Larry Robinson has announced his plans to retire. In anticipation of this, Mayor Bill Whitfield is planning on hiring somebody within the next 6 months.

Excerpts from the McKinney Courier-Gazette:

Regarding forced retirement and serverance pay... 

When asked if council members encouraged Robinson to retire, Huff (City Council member Pete Huff) said, “Larry came to the whole council and said that it was time for him to retire, and he wanted to work out a smooth transition for all concerned.” Robinson will receive a severance pay of $230,000 to be paid Dec. 8 of this year through Jan. 31, 2008. He will also receive his annual pay of approximately $175,000 from now until Dec. 7 of this year, which will total $405,000. He will also receive $2,500 for medical exams at the Cooper Clinic that are not covered by the city’s medical insurance provider.

 

What kind of city manager are they looking for?

Huff wants the new city manager to be a decisive leader who will take a strong stand on something that he believes is right, even if it’s not the popular thing to do, he said.

“We want someone who is a real leader who has been involved with explosive growth. I demanded for a long time from a city manager and staff not to give us alternatives on things. I want a city manager that came with a plan and reasons why we needed to do something. He needs to listen, digest the information, literally decide what he thinks is right, and sell the council on it,” Huff said.

Read the full story here.