The Union City Council made it official Tuesday when they announced the hire of new City Administrator Terrell Jacobs. Jacobs and his family attended the meeting.

Currently assistant manager with Athens-Clarke County, Mayor Ralph Moore said Jacobs will be a welcome addition to Union City government. Jacobs will begin his new position in mid-July.

"We're expecting a lot of great things from Mr. Jacobs. He comes well qualified with experience and background in a larger governmental setting," said Moore. "This will allow him to really mature and bring it to another level with his management of the city's affairs."

Speaking after Tuesday night's council meeting, Jacobs said he and his family were looking forward to locating in Union City.

"One of the main aspects of my interest in applying for the job with Union City is that it has a lot of potential for growth, both residential and commercial," Jacobs said. "I think one of the challenges this community faces is managing that growth. One of the things I hope to bring to the table is the ability to manage that growth."

The differences in the two communities is that Athens-Clarke County is a community of more than 100,000 people, including the 33,000 students attending the University of Georgia, Jacobs said. The similarity, he said, is that the residents of both communities live in an urban setting with a similar lifestyle.

Currently employed with the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government as assistant manager, Terrell's duties include assisting the Manager and Deputy Manager with administration of the day to day operation of a 1500 employee local government. He is also responsible for coordinating special projects, working with multiple departments and agencies in order to facilitate the project's success.

Prior to his role at Athens-Clarke Unified Government, Terrell was assistant manager for the city of Waycross. He was responsible for the oversight of all administrative functions of the government, including human resources, finance, utility billing, marshal services, clerk's office and computer information. He also assisted the manager with the day to day operation of the government.

Jacob's additional experience includes three years as planner with Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center. His responsibilities there included working with local governments within an eight-county area to develop strategy plans for infrastructure needs, planned growth of the community and other related governmental needs to help communities flourish and provide better quality of life for its citizens.

Early career positions include three years as a probation officer and two years as a juvenile corrections officer with the state of Georgia. Jacobs is also a registered mediator with the state of Georgia. He has taught courses in Finance and Human Resources for several colleges.

Terrell received his BA in political science/pre-law and a Master's in public administration from Valdosta State University.

Terrell has been married for 15 years to Angela Jenkins-Jacobs, a registered nurse. Terrell and Angela have three daughters who names are Chelsey 15, Lauren 13, and Tyler10.