FRANKLIN—The search is still on for a permanent finance director in Franklin.

The city has been trying to fill the position on a permanent basis since Brian Stump resigned last October. Amber Stansbury was hired to fill the position on an interim basis, and stayed to help work through the formulation of the fiscal year 2011 budget.

John Sieg is currently acting as the temporary finance director. His services are contracted through the Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties Finance.

When the finance director position was advertised before, there weren’t a huge number of applicants, according to Carolyn Joyner, the city’s human resources manager.

The position requires a bachelor’s degree in accounting or business administration with five years of municipal government experience. The successful candidate is also expected to become a resident of the city within one year of their hire date. Salary is dependent upon qualifications.

“We’ll try to be flexible with it,” City Manager June Fleming said of the salary. “It would have to be within the budget.”

Fleming said some previous applicants were qualified for the position.

“We were ready to set up interviews and for various, very legitimate reasons those people withdrew,” she said.

The deadline for applicants is July 24.