By: Hayden Kobza
Wayon Hines, Collegedale’s most recent city manager and engineer, resigned Tuesday night at a city commission meeting, surprising the mayor and other officials.
Hines had worked for the city since 2016, starting off as a city engineer. In 2021, he served as interim city manager before transitioning to the permanent position. Prior to his announcement on Tuesday, Hines listed several projects the city completed under his leadership, including the creation of Little Debbie Park and the remodeling of the Katie Lamb Library.
“I’m extraordinarily proud to have led our city in significant infrastructure investments, including intersection improvements, large paving projects, and extensive sewer work,” Hines said at the commission meeting. “We have maintained a strong fiscal balance each year and have experienced the highest growth rate ever. We have undertaken many strategic initiatives to improve communication and transparency. We’ve worked to refine most departments by improving not only service delivery, but professionalism.”
However, Hines stated that due to his lack of confidence with certain individuals on the commission he could no longer work for the city.
“Unfortunately, I have lost trust and faith in some members of the commission and the decisions being made,” Hines said. “I’m resigning from both my roles as city manager and city engineer. I believe doing so immediately is in the best interest of the city and the staff as it will aid in the transition to different leadership. Thank you.”
Toyna Sadler, vice mayor, then made a motion to approve the resignation, a move Commissioner Debbie Baker immediately said she did not support.
“I think that we’re losing somebody that has helped put us towards our future,” she said. “Contrary to what other people may think on this board, I think that we’re losing somebody that has cared for this city and has been treated unfairly by certain members. Though I understand the questions that people may have, I think that this is wrong. It is very wrong, and I think personal feelings should not take a part of it.”
Commissioner Tim Johnson then discussed how the city needed to act to delegate the responsibilities of Hines. He recommended utilizing the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS), a Tennessee state–sponsored agency that provides consulting, research and training on a wide range of municipal issues to assist with interviews for the next city manager. He also suggested that Michelle Toro, assistant city manager and finance director, be appointed as interim city manager. City Attorney Sam Elliott endorsed the idea and proposed that Toro be appointed for two weeks.
“Delegate those powers to Michelle,” he said. “… And then maybe you can come back at your next meeting and maybe have a better idea what you want to do, because this is the bomb that got dropped on all of us,”
Mayor Lloyd said he was surprised by Hines’s announcement and expressed gratitude for his service.
“I may not have agreed with some of his conclusions, but I’ve always felt like he wanted what was best for the city of Collegedale, whether we agreed on what that was or not,” he said. “In terms of the employees, I think he has garnered the faith and the respect of the vast majority of city leadership, and I’m sad to see him go.”
Lloyd then emphasized the need for temporary leadership during the transition.
“Michelle, we do look forward to working with you, and I think as a city, we need to take our time,” Lloyd said, referencing the search for a new city manager. “We need to be very diligent in this search for finding the right person to help lead this city.”
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