During a special meeting Tuesday, the Silverthorne Town Council named Ryan Hyland as interim town manager.

Hyland will take over beginning Jan. 2, 2014, for outgoing town manager Kevin Batchelder, who submitted his resignation Monday to the town council.

“This is a role I’m familiar and comfortable with, as I serve in this capacity when assigned from time to time as part of my current duties,” Hyland said. “One of the main goals in the interim will be to keep significant projects, like the comprehensive plan update we are about to embark upon, moving forward without losing any momentum, and I’m confident we can do that.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, the council established a plan to maintain management functions, while providing elected officials with time to assess the town’s future needs and search for a new manager.

As part of that plan, community development director Mark Leidal will move into an interim assistant town manager role.

“We have the month of December to get things prepared for the interim structure, and that ensures that we will have a very smooth transition on Jan. 2,” Batchelder said. “We also have a great organization with outstanding employees, so I know that our customers won’t be impacted in any way by the transition period.”

The town council elected to establish the interim team of Hyland and Leidal for a period of six months, which is permitted under the town charter. The council has not yet determined when it would begin the official search for Silverthorne’s next town manager, Hyland said.

“That process could be less than six months, but the charter allows the flexibility, so they are simply keeping the time frame open should it be necessary,” he said.

As for his interest in becoming the next town manager, Hyland said his immediate concern is preparing for the coming transition.

“Right now my focus is getting up to speed on any projects that I’ve not been directly involved with, so I can make sure we have a smooth transition in January,” he said.

Preparing for January also appears to be the town council’s short-term priority, but Silverthorne Mayor Dave Koop is confident the interim town management team members will have no problem getting their feet under them.

“Kevin has provided a great service to the organization with his leadership over the years, setting us on the right path,” Koop said. “He’s given ample notice of his departure, which will allow us to stay on that path with a smooth transition.”