HELEN — The Helen City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to extend City Manager Jerry Elkins' contract by seven more years.
The vote followed about an hour in closed session.
Commissioner Jeff Ash made the motion, which was seconded by Commissioner Fred Garmon, with all voting in favor.
"I've been here about 17-1/2 years, and they just offered me an extension of that of seven years, which will begin Aug. 1 of this year," Elkins said following the meeting. "I'm very proud. I've enjoyed working for the City of Helen for the last 17-1/2 years. I think we've worked together with the commission. We've made a lot of progress in Helen. You've seen the growth, you've seen the increase in tourism."
Elkins said he looks forward to continuing to see that growth continue to transform Helen in the coming years.
"We have come a long way in 17-1/2 years and I look forward to continuing that progress and helping the city grow, not only in tourists but in residential also," Elkins said.
In a separate vote following closed session, the commission asked City Attorney Carl Free to develop a succession plan for commission review.
"It's important that we have a management succession policy in place," Ash said. "If something should happen, we've got to have people in place, so Carl will be drafting that succession policy that will be made part of the personnel policy and also Jerry's contract."
Ash said he anticipates Free will have those documents for commission review in the coming weeks.
