Woodstock chose a new city manager who already has experience in metro Atlanta. The City Council approved a contract for Jeff Moon, the former Riverdale city manager, who has been the city administrator for Orange Beach, Ala., the past seven years.

He is expected to start April 15 at a salary of $125,000. Moon was one of three finalists for the job.

"They all had similar qualifications educationally and experience-wise, but we felt like Jeff Moon's personality would fit in more so than anyone else," said Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques.

He said Moon is "outgoing just enough, and he understands small-town atmosphere."

The mayor said Moon also recognizes the needs of a growing area because of a similar situation in Orange Beach.

"He has an idea of what he has to step into," Henriques said.

Like all city employees, Moon will have a six-month probationary period with an opportunity for a 5 percent salary increase at the end of that period.

Moon earned a B.S. degree in social science education from Troy University. He received a master's degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi.

His other jobs include assistant to the mayor and director of planning and economic development for the city of Daleville, Ala., and executive director of the Arab, Ala., Chamber of Commerce.

Jim Phelps, Woodstock's interim city manager, did not apply for the permanent position. He is the city's building official.

Woodstock's previous city manager, Jim Gleason, left on Nov. 8 to take a job with ICMA, the city managers' association.

Woodstock, which has a population of 21,000, has a General Fund budget of $15 million and a total budget of more than $25 million, according to the city's advertisement for the position.