Fayetteville's

new/old city manager will start work April 12.

City

Council Monday unanimously approved a contract in

which former city manager Joe Morton will resume

his old post.

Morton

will earn $82,000 a year, plus $300 a month gas

and auto allowance, with any future salary

increase at the discretion of council.

"This

is really great news," Mayor Kenneth Steele

said last week after a tentative agreement was

reached with Morton.

The

city will benefit greatly from the fact that

Morton will be up to speed almost immediately,

Steele said. With budget time fast approaching,

Morton's knowledge of the city and his strength

in budget matters will come in handy, he added.

Morton,

who left the city manager's post two years ago to

take a position as Peachtree City's assistant

city manager, held the Fayetteville position from

1994 to 1998.

He

hadn't thought about returning to Fayetteville,

Morton said, but a city councilman phoned him and

asked if he was interested.

"My

initial reaction was that I didn't think

so," he said, "but I sat down with the

mayor and talked about the advantages and

disadvantages, and there were a lot more

positives than negatives."

City

Council has had one change since Morton left town

- Mayor Mike Wheat retired and was replaced

replaced by Planning Commission member Bill

Talley.

"I'm

familiar with Bill and worked with him on the

Planning Commission, so that's not a

problem," said Morton. "I think I've

got a good sense of the direction they're looking

for right now and I believe I can help them get

there," he said.

"I

like the vision and goals of the council, the

Main Street program and how that fits into

things... I think it's a pretty good

match-up," he added.

Morton

has spent most of his career in city government

in Georgia, including four years as city manager

in Cairo and two more as assistant city manager

there. He was also assistant city manager in

Moultrie for several years during the 1980s.

Fayetteville

has been without a full-time city manager since

Jan. 12, when former manager Michael Bryant was

suspended pending an investigation of a sexual

harassment complaint. The investigation was ended

when Bryant resigned last month.

Police

Chief Johnny Roberts, who is also assistant city

manager, has filled in as acting city manager

during the interim.

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