The Town Council voted unanimously Thursday to make interim manager Russ Overton Cary's 12th town manager. He has worked for the town since 1998.
Russ Overton is Cary’s new town manager. The Town Council voted unanimously Thursday night to give him the job, and he was sworn in at the end of the regular meeting in the Council Chambers at Town Hall.
Overton had served as interim town manager for 10 months. He is the 12th person to hold the job since Cary adopted the council-manager form of government in 1961, according to the town’s Oct. 22 news release.
“Russ has shown incredible leadership, stability, humility, and responsibility in the 10 months that he’s served as Interim Town Manager,” Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said in the release.
“Cary has always believed that excellent service means we keep learning, adapting, and looking ahead,” Overton said.
Who he is
Overton has worked for the town for almost 30 years. The town’s release lists his career:
- joined the town in 1998 as an engineer
- later director of Inspections & Permits
- managed the building of the USA Baseball National Training Complex
- assistant town manager from 2013
- deputy town manager and chief operating officer from 2017
- interim town manager from Dec. 15, 2025
He holds a civil engineering degree from North Carolina State University and is a licensed professional engineer. He is also an ICMA Credentialed Manager, a credential from the International City/County Management Association.
What the town manager does
Cary runs on a council-manager system. The council sets policy and adopts the budget. The manager runs the town day to day and proposes the budget, as our guide to who to call at Town Hall explains.
The council appoints only three people: the town manager, the town clerk and the town attorney. The manager oversees every other town department and employee, the town said.
Why the job was open
Overton became interim manager after former Town Manager Sean Stegall resigned in December 2025. Three reviews followed, according to the town’s Town Manager Transition page:
- extra work by Cary’s outside auditor, Cherry Bekaert, as part of the 2025 annual audit
- an investigative review by the N.C. Office of the State Auditor
- a review for the council by the law firm Womble Bond Dickinson
All three had published findings and recommendations by July 2026, the town said. It tracks its progress on them on a public Moving Forward Dashboard.
With Thursday’s appointment, the town said the transition is over. It has stopped updating the transition page and will keep it online as an archive.
Also on Thursday’s agenda: the law firm’s recommendations
The same meeting’s agenda carried three items drawn from the Womble Bond Dickinson report, which made 21 recommendations. The town had not posted the outcome of those votes by Sunday evening.
1. Formal direction to the manager on nine recommendations. A staff report asked the council to direct the manager to act on them and report back by the end of the 2027 fiscal year. They include:
- a full review of rules for town purchasing cards and expense reimbursements
- filling the town internal auditor post again, which the council funded in the current budget
- standard hiring practices for every job, including posted openings and formal interviews
- a review of the size of the town manager’s office
- weighing a confidential tip line for employees and an outside ombuds program
Costs for the tip line and ombuds program would come back in the 2028 budget, the report said.
2. A new employee survey rule. Proposed Policy 192 would require a confidential survey of all town employees at least every three years. The 2026 survey was the first in more than a decade. The next would come in the 2028 fiscal year.
3. Notice of job changes. A town code and budget amendment would require the manager to tell the council in writing, with reasons, when a town position is added, cut or repurposed. It also states that the manager is not the “final authority for directing the activities” of every town employee, the wording the law firm recommended. The town had 1,353 full-time equivalent positions when the budget was adopted June 25, 2026.
What it means for you
- Day-to-day services do not change. Overton has run the town since December.
- The budget is his to propose. The next budget, for the 2028 fiscal year, is where the costs of the tip line, ombuds program and future employee surveys will show up.
- You can follow the reforms. The town’s dashboard shows each recommendation’s status. Questions go to Cary 311: dial 311 in town or 919-469-4000 from outside town limits.
- Property taxes and fees are set by the council each June. Our property tax guide has the current rates.
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