Twenty months after he took the job as Charlottesville City Manager, Maurice Jones has bought a house in town, Graham Moomaw writes for the Daily Progress. A requirement for the position of city manager is that, after accepting the position, the manager must move into the city limits. Recognizing the realities of what goes into moving and selling a home, that doesn’t have to be done instantly, but instead within one year. Jones, like many folks in the area, is underwater on his Earlysville home—he paid $393,000 for it in 2006, and now it’s worth just $315,000, making it impossible to sell without ponying up $78,000 to the bank. Jones said he had a tough time finding a buyer, so Council gave him an extension to allow him twenty months, rather than the previous twelve.
Jones has taken early possession—a week before the formal closing—of a house in Greenbrier, just as his time elapsed. The house requires renovation, though, and won’t be habitable for a few months, so while Jones does now own a house in the city, he won’t be sleeping in the city until later this year. Council members tell Moomaw that they’re satisfied with Jones’s progress, and consider him in compliance with his contractual requirements.
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