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GREENSBORO - Deputy City Manager Bob Morgan will lead the city while City Council members start the search for a new city manager, the council decided Friday.

On Monday, the city will launch the hunt for former City Manager Mitchell Johnson's replacement by asking executive search firms to submit proposals. Such an executive search could cost upward of $45,000, city Human Resources Director Connie Hammond said Friday.

Greensboro could hire a new city manager by August.

Morgan - a veteran city manager - earned his promotion three days after City Council members relieved Johnson of his duties.

Council members voted 6 to 3 to appoint Morgan as interim city manager, after a closed session. Council members Mike Barber, Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade voted no.

After the vote, Barber and Rakestraw said they were backing another candidate, but that they will put their full support behind Morgan.

"The goal is to let him manage and not micromanage (him)," Rakestraw said. "Bob has enough experience to know what to do."

Morgan met with Mayor Yvonne Johnson on Friday afternoon, to hear some initial direction from City Council members.

"We had good discussion," the mayor said of the council members' closed-door debate. "They'll work with him."

Morgan was the town manager for Carrboro from 1984 until 2002, when he came to Greensboro as assistant city manager.

In 2008, he was promoted to deputy city manager. He has managed the search for the new fire chief and overseen 11 city departments, including parks and recreation and water resources.

Morgan said council members have not offered him a raise.

He said he will get to work early next week, meeting with department heads.

"We've got to get organized and set our priorities," he said.

It was still unclear Friday exactly what Mitchell Johnson - who will work for the city until July 15 - will do. Morgan said he will not be help with the budget process, at the council's direction.

Council members also officially launched the search process for a new city leader, by asking the staff to send out requests for executive search firms.

Search firms will have until April 3 to apply for the job of finding the new manager. The cost of the process has not yet been determined, but searches for top level city management positions in the last year cost about $24,000 each, not including travel expenses.

"The more the provider does, the more it is going to cost us," Hammond told council members Friday.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.