The search to replace retiring Manteo Town Manager Kermit Skinner will begin in earnest later this month. After months of inactivity, the Manteo Board Board of Commissioners hired The Mercer Group, Inc. last month at a cost of $17,500 to help with the search.

At the end of last year, Skinner announced he would retire in June of this year after 30 years with the town. Skinner agreed to delay his retirement at the request of then newly-elected Mayor Bobby Owens and stay in the position until December 2018 to allow the Board of Commissioners more time to find his replacement.

After a board vote allocating an additional four thousand dollars for travel expenses for the search firm, the commissioners set October 17 for an initial meeting with a representative of the search firm.

It’s expected that Manteo commissioners will meet individually and privately with S. Ellis Hankins, senior vice president of The Mercer Group, to begin the process of determining the criteria to be used in the manager search. The Manteo Board of Commissioners will convene at 6:30 p.m. on that same day in open session for further discussion and to receive public comment regarding the manager search.

The original timeline from the beginning of the search process to the start date for a new town manager was anticipated to be four months. If the timeline is adhered to, a new town manager wouldn’t be in place until February of next year. An offer by Skinner to delay his retirement again appeared to be dismissed by the mayor. Owens said the assistant Manteo town manager [Shannon Twiddy] is capable to step in and fill the void.