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GATESVILLE – The search for a new County Manager is officially underway.

At their regularly scheduled meeting here Feb. 15, the Gates County Board of Commissioners formally approved a timeline that will be used during the search process.

That timeline is as follows:

Advertisement for the position was posted Feb. 17.

The posting will close on March 15.

The commissioners will review and rank all applications by April 1.

By April 5, the commissioners will choose applicants to conduct interviews and finalize the questions to be asked during those interviews.

The interviews will begin April 15.

By May 30, the commissioners are hopeful to choose the successful candidate based from the interview process

“We can open up the process again if the initial pool of candidates do not meet the expectations we have for our new county manager,” stated Dr. Althea Riddick, chair of the county commissioners. “We can adjust this timeline if needed.”

On a motion from Commissioner Emily Truman and a second from Commission Vice Chair Jonathan Craddock, the timeline was approved by a 5-0 vote.

While the search is taking place, Scott Sauer has been hired under a six-month contract to serve as Interim County Manager. He most recently served as Bertie County Manager, retiring in November of 2019. He has a long career in local government, working in five counties: Caswell, Scotland, Sampson, Harnett, and Bertie.

Sauer’s first day on the job as Gates County Interim Manager was Feb. 13.

Tim Wilson, the former Gates County Manager, announced his resignation in early January. He had been in that position since March of 2021.

Wilson’s last day in Gates County was Feb. 10.