GATESVILLE – The interim tag from Tim Russell’s title was removed by the Gates County Board of Commissioners Monday afternoon.

After an closed session discussion, the Board decided to accept the proposal for full-time employment that Russell had presented to them in August.

&uot;I am excited to be in Gates County.&uot; Russell said. &uot;The people of the county have been nothing but nice and friendly. There are many things that the people want and I hope to be the catalyst to help get the things they want.&uot;

Russell came to Gates County in January 2006 from Rowan County where he also served as County Manager. A newly-seated commission decided not to renew Russell’s contract and he retired after over 34 years of service.

He replaced Mark Biberdorf who left the county to become Town Manager in Fletcher.

&uot;I decided to come to Gates County to assist them in the transition after Mark left. That was my only objective, to help the commission to locate and secure the best manager that we could.&uot; Russell explained.

&uot;In the process, my wife and I decided that Gates County might be a place that we would want to locate.&uot; Russell continued &uot;But, I wanted to make sure to fulfill my responsibility to complete and search for a new manager. We advertised the position according to the commission’s criteria and did all the right things.&uot;

Russell said that the fact that all three of his daughters and a grandson are within close proximity of the county played a part in the decision to accept the job full-time. Russell and his wife have two daughters that live in Raleigh, one enrolled in North Carolina State and another that lives in Greenville with the Russell’s only grandson.

To preserve the conditions of his retirement, Russell will work on a contract basis with the county through his company, Russell Management and Consulting Services.

Russell will be paid $86,400 annually on an independent contractor basis. The total compensation package also includes $6,594, equivalent to the county’s share of FICA and Medicare insurance deductions. An annual $4800 car allowance rounds out the total compensation package, totaling $97,794.