SANFORD — City Manager Steve Buck, who arrived here in the summer of 2012, after an 11-year stint as the city manager in Caribou, will be Sanford’s manager for the next several years.

Buck’s contract was set to expire Aug. 5, 2015. But, on Tuesday, city councilors approved a three-year contract extension, which means he’ll be around through 2018.

“He is a valuable resource to the community,” said Mayor Tom Cote, as he acknowledged Buck’s dedication and depth of knowledge.

Buck was a farmer in Corinna for several years ”“ he was the fourth generation of his family to till the soil. But then he decided to take the business skills he’d learned as a farmer and apply them to municipal management, he said in a 2012 interview. He went to work in Caribou ”“ Maine’s northernmost city. In addition to his 11-year stint as Caribou city manager, Buck was a Corinna selectman for 15 years.

Sanford, like many municipalities, is seeking to boost economic development. It has embarked on a plan to revitalize its downtown and millyard areas, and, if voters approve the measure on Jan. 13, it will receive about $92 million from the state for a new high school and technical center. The state has also committed funds for an elementary school.

Buck was chosen from a pool of 43 applicants, four of whom were interviewed.

“I thank the council for their support,” Buck said Tuesday.

The vote to extend his contract was unanimous among the six councilors present. Councilor Alan Walsh was absent Tuesday evening.

Currently earning $111,812 annually, Buck will also get a $2,188 raise.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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