City of Sarasota Finance Director announces retirement

City Finance Director Chris Lyons announced his retirement Tuesday to his finance staff and the city manager, and made the announcement public today. He is retiring for health reasons.

Lyons, a 25-year city employee, made the announcement one day after the City Commission approved the city’s 2012-2013 budget. Lyons was finance director for the past five years, and he helped prepare 23 fiscal year budgets as a city employee. Recently, he led the effort to cut costs and reform pensions.

“I want to express my deep and sincere appreciation to Chris for guiding the 2012-13 budget through to adoption and working through some tough financial times and personal times,” said City Manager Tom Barwin in a press release. “He’s a talented and dedicated individual and just in the short time I’ve been here I know he will be sorely missed.”

Lyons will continue his employment with the city for at least 60 days and has offered to assist with the transition process when his successor is hired. A national search will be launched soon to hire a new Finance Director.

“It’s going to be really difficult to fill his shoes,” said Sarasota’s public information officer Jan Thornburg.