Louisville residents will soon have the opportunity to meet the four finalists for the city manager position, learn about the post, familiarize themselves with the candidates and provide the City Council with their feedback.

The four finalists, Jay Harrington, Diana Langley, Sara Ott and Jason Rogers, will be at the meet-and-greet open house 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Louisville Recreation and Senior Center, 900 West Via Appia Way.

Louisville operates under a council-manager form of local government. While the council is elected and serves as the governing body, the city manager oversees day-to-day operations and ensures the council’s decisions and policies are being followed. Interim City Manager Samma Fox, who has served in the position since July 2024, said if residents can imagine Louisville as a business, then the city manager serves as the CEO.

“It’s the city manager’s job to lead Louisville’s dedicated and diverse staff, to oversee the day-to-day operations of the city, and to ensure that services are being delivered to residents efficiently and effectively,” Fox said. “Most importantly, the city manager is responsible for implementing the policy decisions made by the city council, ensuring their vision becomes reality for the community.”

Harrington has been the county manager for Routt County since 2021, with experience as city manager at Carbondale and Cortez as well.

Langley has been the city manager of Yuba City, Calif., since 2021, and has worked several different positions within the city since 2005.

Ott has been the city manager of Aspen since 2017, and also worked as township administrator, assistant city manager and in other roles at Dublin, Ohio.

Jason Rogers is the current city manager for Commerce City, which he has been serving since 2022. He also has experience as deputy city manager and community development director in Commerce City.

After the meet-and-greet Wednesday, the council will meet Jan. 27 to select a candidate, negotiate a contract and set a start date for the new city manager. According to Louisville Communications Manager Grace Johnson, the advertised salary range for the position is between $232,459.22 to $330,186.98. The salary will be part of contract negotiations with the council.

Former City Manager Jeff Durbin was placed under administrative leave in June 2024 after a council executive session, a confidential meeting. The topic for the session, stated in the agenda, was to discuss personnel matters involving an employee appointed by the council.

In July 2024, Durbin offered to resign from his role and the council accepted the resignation. No formal reason for his resignation has been provided from the city. The council appointed Fox, deputy city manager, as interim city manager after Durbin’s resignation.