Mount Airy officials are getting assistance from a state organization to guide them in hiring the next city manager.

Mayor Deborah Cochran announced Thursday that the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners will hold a special public meeting Monday at 3 p.m. which will include a representative of the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM).

The individual from that organization — a nonpartisan federation of cities, towns and villages in North Carolina that promotes excellence in municipal government — will discuss the hiring process for the city manager with local officials.

That vacancy was created by the Jan. 6 resignation of Don Brookshire, who had been on the job for nearly nine years. Since his departure, Barbara Jones, the assistant city manager and clerk, is filling the position on an interim basis.

Mount Airy is advertising for a new manager locally, statewide and across the Southeast region through a number of publications.

In the meantime, it was suggested by Commissioner Teresa Lewis that the city take advantage of the resources of the League of Municipalities, which come with no price tag attached since Mount Airy is a member of the organization.

Lewis said she made the suggestion “because I believe this is an extremely important position within our city.” She added, “The NCLM has a broad network of advisers and researchers who can be of assistance to the board as we strive to recruit and hire the best-possible manager.”

Cochran and the rest of the council agreed with Lewis’ recommendation.

“We want to take advantage of any service that is free and will help us with the hiring process,” Cochran said.

“They are the professionals and they deal with this all the time,” she added of the statewide organization. “They’ll tell us what to focus on when hiring a city manager.”

Monday afternoon’s meeting will be held in the downstairs conference room of the Municipal Building.

The application deadline for the city manager’s job is March 31, and afterward the commissioners will begin reviewing the qualifications of those seeking the post.

“I know we’ve had some people applying,” Cochran said Thursday. The exact number was not available.

Commissioner Dean Brown said applications are being accepted by City Attorney Hugh Campbell.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.