On Tuesday, the Greene County Board of Commissioners named Amanda Smith as interim county manager following a retirement announcement from County Manager Byron Lombard.
According to a press release from the county, Lombard sent a letter to the commissioners last week informing them of his plan to retire.
The release said Lombard “looks forward to spending time with his family, traveling, and contributing positively as a private citizen to the future of Greene County.”
Smith has served as the county finance manager for almost 20 years. During Tuesday’s meeting, Chairman Gary Usry said Smith will step into the interim county manager role while the board undergoes a hiring process to choose the new county manager. According to Usry, Lombard will serve in an advisory role during the interim.
Lombard has been the county manager for almost 25 years and has been recognized as Georgia’s longest-serving county manager. He started in Greene in May of 1997 as the public works director before being named county manager in October 1999.
According to the release, Lombard improved the county fund balance and bond rating and helped lower the millage rate during his tenure. Under his leadership, the county’s financial reporting has been consistently recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.
Lombard has been active in the public safety services with stints as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, EMA director, and volunteer fire chief.
As county manager, he has been an advocate for public safety, pushing for improvements to the resources and delivery of services in Greene County.
The release indicated that Lombard will continue to actively support public safety services and volunteer in the fire and EMS departments.
“He’s accomplished so many things,” Usry said about Lombard. “He’s given great service to this county, its citizens, and the Board of Commissioners. Myself and countless others are incredibly thankful to Byron for his unrelenting hard work and dedication.”