The City of Wichita is starting an extensive, nationwide search to find a new city manager after the announcement by Robert Layton that he is retiring at the end of the year.

Mayor Lily Wu said Layton will be an important part of the search process, and it will be part of his legacy in helping to decide who the next city manager will be.  Layton is stepping down on December 31st after serving in the office for 16 years.

Mayor Wu said there has not yet been a conversation among the seven City Council members about the search process.   She said the Council will make the decision on the next city manager and she will be looking for community input during the process.

The Mayor said she not only wants community input on the next city manager, but also on the form of government that the city should have going forward.  The city has operated with a council-manager form of government, with the city manager serving as a chief executive officer for city operations under policies set by the City Council.   There have been discussions in the past about going to a strong mayor form of government, with the mayor taking a chief executive role to draft a budget and appoint department heads.

The current City Council is expected to be involved in the selection of a new city manager, although Council seats in Districts 1, 3 and 6 will be open in this year’s elections.  District 1 incumbent Brandon Johnson won’t be able to run again because of term limits.   District 3 Council member Mike Hoheisel and District 6 Council member Maggie Ballard are completing their first terms in office.