The La Pine City Council on Friday morning appointed Rick Allen as interim city manager following Steve Hasson’s resignation from the position after just 14 months.

“We’re moving to Portland because we inherited a farm,” Hasson said. “The goal is to have as seamless of a transition as possible.”

Allen, 56, will take over as interim city manager effective April 22. Hasson’s last day is April 19.

This isn’t Allen’s first stint in this position. He served as La Pine interim city manager from June 2010 until Hasson’s appointment in early 2012 after being selected by consultants from the League of Oregon Cities. During his last appointment as interim city manager, Allen assisted the City Council in recruiting Hasson.

“He really set up and managed the process last time through the LOC,” said La Pine Mayor Ken Mulenex. “That’s one of the big reasons we brought him back.”

While serving as interim city manager last time around, Allen became known for shaking things up.

Within his first two weeks on the job, Allen introduced proposals to the City Council aimed at cutting costs and streamlining operations. He also extended La Pine City Hall hours of operation from 30 to 40 hours per week and suggested the council take public comments at the start of their meetings rather than the end, as was its practice.

“He’s worked with pretty much everybody who’s here and knows La Pine as a new city,” Mulenex said. “We really needed someone who could step in and get the budget done. He’ll make sure we continue to move forward along the proper path.”

Allen served on the Madras City Council in the 1980s, taking over as interim city manager for about a year when the prior city manager resigned.

He was a Jefferson County commissioner in the 1990s and returned to city government in 2000, winning a write-in campaign to unseat Madras Mayor Marjean Whitehouse.