Six months after terminating former city manager Crandall Jones’ contract, East Point has begun looking into filling that position in earnest.

At the Dec. 19 city council meeting, after an executive session, Councilman Lance Rhodes made the motion to terminate the city manager’s contract effective Dec. 31.

While the language in the minutes says termination, and Mayor Earnestine Pittman said that is indeed what it was, Rhodes said it was mutually agreed upon by Jones that end his contract.

The motion passed unanimously, and Rhodes made a second motion directing the legal department to send out requests for proposal for proposals from firms to conduct the city manager search.

While the motion passed, in Jan. 3 the mayor vetoed it and it was sustained with a split vote that Pittman broke by voting in favor of the veto.

Pittman said she did not want to begin the search for a new city manager during the city’s budgeting process.

With that now over, Pittman said the city is slated this week to accept a firm for the search. The city will be considering up to five firms that will search for a city manager, whittling down top applicants to five for the council to interview.

After which, Rhodes said the top two or three candidates will have to be advertised for 14 days to the public and then the city can make its selection.

“It can be done in three months, but it’ll be very, very tight,” he said.

Right now the interim city manager is Parks and Recreation Director Seigfried Jones, who was appointed to serve a 45-day term per the motion.

Rhodes said he has about a month left before the council will have to move to reappoint him or someone else until the permanent manager is hired.