By: Hayden Kobza
Wayon Hines, Collegedale’s most recent city manager and engineer, resigned at a Sept. 2 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 a permanent position. In the meeting right before he announced his resignation, 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.
Loss of trust in commissioners
In a dramatic turn, Hines said that due to his lack of confidence in certain individuals 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.”
Hines explains his reasoning
The Accent reached out to Hines for further clarification for what he meant by his “lost trust” in the commissioners. In an email, he stated that he believed the letter of resignation best explained his reasoning without further details.
“I came to the realization I was not the right leader for this specific commission,” Hines stated. “I felt so strongly about the disconnect that I resigned without another position lined up.”
Later in Hines’s email, he explained how he is very grateful to have worked with the team over the years and that he believes Collegedale is one of the best places to live in the region.
“…[I] have taken a ton of pride in serving the citizens for more than nine years,” Hines. “I will be eternally proud of the team we built and the items achieved. The team that remains at the City is the best I have ever worked with and they are dedicated to serving the Citizens.”
Commissioner Baker’s reaction
At the meeting, Tonya 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,” Baker 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.”
The Accent reached out to Baker to get her comments, she responded by email stating that due to “deep respect” for Hines she would not speculate on why he resigned. However, Baker shared that she was shocked but respects his decision.
“I will greatly miss working with him,” Baker stated. “He is a man who loves the citizens and community of Collegedale. He contributed greatly for the betterment of the city/citizens. He is a man of integrity and deserve the respect of all. He has earned the respect and gratitude of all the employees and many others. He will be greatly missed. The city will miss him, and I wish him much happiness and success.”
Baker then explained that even though she will miss Hines, she believes that everyone can be replaced, even if some are harder than others. “Mr. Hines will be difficult to replace due to all that he did for Collegedale.” Although Baker said she still believes Collegedale will continue positively and will move forward in future endeavors.
Planning for leadership transition
Very shortly after Hines left City Hall, Commissioner Tim Johnson discussed how the city needed to act to delegate the responsibilities of the city manager position. 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. Johnson 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,” Elliott 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.”
Contract negotiations and disagreements
The Accent reached out to Tim Johnson to get his comments on the matter. According to Johnson, the commission was negotiating a contract for Hines concerning his request to eliminate the city engineering responsibilities that he took on in addition to being the city manager.
“Due to the Tennessee Sunshine Law, the outside attorney only wanted to communicate via email and brief calls,” Johnson stated in an email. “There were several areas that I suggested, and the attorney indicated the other commissioners did not support my suggestions. These included: Accepting Wayon’s current salary of $154,000. There are some that felt his salary was too high and did not want to accept the salary of approximately $154,000. In speaking with our attorney, it was clear others wanted a reduction in Wayon’s salary. I felt his salary was reasonable and did not need to change. Our attorney added language that the city manager could not hold a second job even if it did not interfere with the city responsibilities. Other commissioners agreed with it.”
Johnson continued stating that years ago the commission allowed city managers to hold a second job if it did not disrupt or interfere with city operations. Because Hines is an engineer, it allowed him the opportunity to offer his services after hours or on weekends, according to Johnson.
“I suggested paying Wayon’s salary after resignation or paying him as a consultant,” Johnson stated. “My suggestion was that with three months’ salary in return, he would offer input on projects underway with the city.”
However, Johnson stated that several commissioners did not feel the same way. He explained that the responsibilities of the commissioners are to be financially responsible to the citizens of Collegedale, review planning commission projects, approve or deny recommendations, along with recommendations for the city, ordinances resolutions.
“Outside of the above listed responsibilities, the commission has no responsibility for involving themselves in projects or giving direction to employees,” Johnson stated. “This is not the responsibility or role of a Collegedale Commissioner.”
He continued. “The commission needs to stay in their lane. I feel this could hurt us in finding the right city manager going forward.”
Mayor Lloyd responds
Mayor Lloyd said he was surprised by Hines’s announcement and expressed gratitude for his service at the meeting.
“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.”
The Accent reached out to Lloyd to comment on the night. He responded by email stating that he was shocked that Hines resigned. “He and I had our disagreements but had a mutual respect for the other’s opinion, Lloyd stated I appreciate his many years of service to the City of Collegedale and would like to have continued that relationship. He has not shared a reason for his resignation, and I wouldn’t want to speculate. That question would be best answered by him.”
He believes that Hines’s sudden resignation will have an immediate impact on the City of Collegedale. In the meantime, Lloyd shared that Toro will serve as the interim city manager as they diligently search for the next city manager.
“As a Commission, we are committed to finding the right person for the job. With the proper choice, I don’t believe there will be a long-term impact on the City of Collegedale,” Lloyd stated.
The Southern Accent reached out to Commissioner Laura Howse for her comments, she declined to comment.
The Southern Accent tried reaching out to Vice Mayor Tonya Sadler, but she did not respond.
