Lisa Blackmon will serve as acting city manager when Miranda Lutzow departs the employment of the City of Manteca on Feb. 26.

Blackmon is the current assistant city manager. Prior to that, she served as city clerk after being hired for that position in June of 2016. Blackmon has resided in Manteca since going to work for the city 4 years and seven months ago.

The City Council made the decision to have Blackmon serve as acting city manager Thursday when they met in a closed door session.

Blackmon will serve as acting city manager, according to the action reported out of closed session by City Attorney David Nefouse, until the city decides on an interim city manager.

Typically an interim city manager serves while the council conducts a search for a permanent replacement.

In the past that has involved hiring a recruitment firm to conduct the search, do initial applicant screening, and the facilitate interviews with leading candidates for the council.

That is the process that led a previous council to hire Elena Reyes as city manager in August of 2016. Within four months Reyes was placed on administrative leave by the council.

Reyes walked away from her 38-week stint as city manager — including 19 weeks she was paid for not working — with at least an additional $145,000 when the city parted ways with her in April of 2017.

By contrast Karen McLaughlin, whom Reyes replaced, was elevated to interim city manager for a little more than a month before the council decided against conducting an outside search and hired her as the permanent replacement.

McLaughlin served for almost five years as the city manager before retiring. Like Blackmon, McLaughlin was assistant city manager at the time she became interim city manager.

The City Council is scheduled to present Lutzow with a plaque recognizing her 17½ months of service as acting, interim, and permanent city manager when they meet for a Zoom meeting.

It is a gesture councils in the past have only made when a city manager retires or resigns for other opportunities.

Lutzow has not indicated why she is leaving. Her submission last Friday of a resignation letter effective Feb. 26 caught council members off guard.

Unlike with Reyes or Tim Ogden — the city manager between Reyes and Lutzow — there will be no severance pay. That is because Lutzow is resigning on her own accord.