- Amanda Brown became Waldo city manager last week after Kim Worley stepped down following 25 years in the role.
- Brown is addressing projects like City Hall upgrades and tax change planning amid a $48.9 million cut to Alachua County's budget.
Amanda Brown took the reins as Waldo city manager last week, as Kim Worley stepped down from the position after 25 years.
Worley told Mainstreet it’s time for a break and will take a gap year to relax and spend time with family before figuring out what’s next.
She said there are plenty of projects to keep Brown busy with a surge of new businesses coming to town, including The Paper Bag Deli’s coffee drive-thru, and she is working to make the transition as smooth as possible for a successful future.
“Serving the City of Waldo has been an amazing journey,” Worley posted to Facebook. “Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with dedicated employees, elected officials, community partners, and residents who all care deeply for this town. Together we faced challenges, celebrated successes, weathered storms and worked every day to make Waldo better. I am grateful for the friendships, experiences and lessons I’ve gained along the way.”
Brown lives in Lake Butler and brings recently acquired government experience with her. She started working at Lake Butler City Hall in 2019, served two years as deputy city clerk and the past three years as executive assistant to the Bradford County city manager.
The Waldo City Council voted to hire Brown during its May 12 meeting.
Proving Worley’s prediction of staying busy true, Brown said she’s already getting to work on multiple projects, including city hall upgrades, eco-tourism opportunities and gearing up for a new school.
The biggest project has been planning for the potential property tax changes, which are projected to cut Alachua County’s budget by $48.9 million in revenue.
Brown said she’s learning what the consequences would be for Waldo and what changes could help save money ahead of them. She’s also looking forward to the state approving its budget to see if Waldo is granted an appropriations request that could replace old water meters.
“I’m trying to look and see what the possibilities are,” Brown said. “I think there’s a lot of really good potential here, and that’s really what I’m looking into, is to see what we can do to free Waldo a little more into the front and make it a place that people want to drive to, instead of just drive through.”