‘Many contributions’ Retirements mean a change of the guard in Manti City

MANTI— Two of Manti City’s longest-serving officials will retire in the coming months. At the Oct. 15 city council meeting, Mayor Chuck announced that City Manager Kent Barton and City Recorder JoAnn Otten would both step down after decades of service to Manti City.

Barton is set to retire Jan. 15, while Otten’s retirement will take effect in December. In a closed session prior to the regular meeting, Mayor Bigelow presented his recommendations for replacements for the two positions.

Council members had a chance to question the candidates before a vote was taken in the public session. The mayor named Jason Brown, former Beaver city manager, as his choice to succeed Barton. Brown has more than nine years of experience managing municipal operations and civil engineering projects in Beaver City.

To replace Otten, Bigelow introduced Matt Gray, a Manti resident with a professional background in accounting, finance and quality management. Gray most recently worked at ACT Aerospace in Gunnison. After discussion in open session, the council voted unanimously to approve both appointments.

Gray is expected to start next week to overlap with Otten’s remaining tenure, while Brown will start Dec. 1 for a transition before Barton’s mid-January retirement. “We appreciate the great work Kent and JoAnn have done here and recognize their many contributions to Manti City,” Bigelow said. He also welcomed the incoming administrators, saying,“We are excited for both Jason and Matt to join the team and believe they have the skills and experience to keep us moving forward.”

Brown and his family plan to relocate from Beaver to Manti before he begins work with the city. Both transitions mark a significant shift in Manti administration, as Barton and Otten have been central figures in city government for years, helping oversee projects, budgets and community initiatives during years of steady growth.