Former town manager Lemnios plans to return to post in Hull

Natick Town Administrator Phil Lemnios will present his budget to the Board of Selectmen on Monday. He'll also be presenting his plans to leave Town Hall.

Pending final contract negotiations, Lemnios, 47, is expected to accept the town manager's job at Hull -- again. He held the post from 1992 to 2003, before accepting the top job in Natick.

Lemnios, who insists he was not in the hunt for a new job, said he was attracted to the idea of running a smaller operation again in Hull, after four years overseeing Natick's $92 million budget. Hull's budget is a third that size.

"This is an opportunity that really kind of was sprung on me," said Lemnios, who added that the Hull selectmen sought him out for the position.

Lemnios, who makes about $133,000 a year in Natick, said he expects his salary in Hull to be higher.

Lemnios will probably begin his new job in April, when Hull's manager, Christopher McCabe, retire s.

"That would provide Natick with a fair amount of time to seek a replacement and have a transition that's relatively smooth," Lemnios said. "I feel comfortable with the position the community's in currently, and in the organizational structure and staff."

Lemnios hired a deputy town administrator, former Easton town administrator Martha White, in August.

Lemnios will leave at a time of tightening budgets in the town. Officials already have been discussing the possibility of seeking an override along with budget cuts either this spring or next year.

Also, the town is dealing with the ongoing impact of the Natick Mall expansion, working with the CSX railroad and community members on the possible development of a rail trail, developing plans for a new senior center, and negotiating with a developer for the town's first "smart growth" residential development.

"I've been very satisfied with his tenure, and I'm sorry to see him go," said Charles Hughes, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

Town bylaws require the selectmen to establish a nine-member screening committee to seek administrator candidates within six months of a vacancy. That committee then has six months to seek and interview candidates and present two to five finalists for the job to the selectmen. The board then has a month to either hire one of the candidates or re open the search process.

John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.