Lawrenceville has been the major exception among Gwinnett County municipalities in not having a city manager, but after six months of lobbying and planning that may be about to change.
City officials have met with consultants and have come up with a rough draft for the ordinance that would create the position's responsibilities.
Next they'll need to fine-tune it before placing the item on the City Council's agenda.
"We're just trying to refine the ordinance," Councilwoman Marie Beiser said. "We're getting close."
Lawrenceville is Gwinnett's largest municipality, and other than Rest Haven (population 151), it is the only one without a city manager or administrator.
But city officials and council members are working toward implementing a city manager-city council form of government for the 189-year-old town. Officials have not yet determined how long it might take to install a new city manager.
As of now, City Clerk Bob Baroni handles a number of Lawrenceville's day-to-day operations, including administration and courts, but only 52 of the city's more than 250 employees report to him. The others report to the police chief or superintendent of utilities.
Supporters of the plan say a city manager would make someone responsible for oversight of all city departments and would provide continuity at City Hall even when the mayor and council members leave office.
"A city with a $90 million budget needs day-to-day oversight," said David Mellard, president of the Lawrenceville Neighborhood Alliance. "All of the comparably sized cities in Gwinnett have a city manager. There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't have one."
However, former Mayor Rex Millsaps waged a campaign against Lawrenceville's attempt to change its charter for the new position. Millsaps sent a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal in April, asking him to veto the bill that authorized the change.
"Citizens should have a chance to vote on this change," Millsaps said in the letter. "The majority of the public is not aware the bill exists."
Deal signed the bill a month later.
New Councilman Tony Powell called Millsaps' letter an "improper communication" and pointed to hefty fines over safety violations in the city's gas department as evidence that change was needed at City Hall.
"To have a former mayor interfering in something that is not true tells you a lot about the former administration,” Powell said.
Harry Hayes of the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, who recently attended a council meeting to advise the city on the ordinance, said Lawrenceville's move to a city manager style of government is part of a statewide trend.
"It kind of mirrors a business model," Hayes said. "And it gives local governments more flexibility in that regard."
But a city manager or administrator could come with a cost. Several city managers in Gwinnett make six figures or close to it. Countywide, Buford City Manager Bryan Kerlin is the highest paid at $169,229 annually.
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