After nearly 14 years of service, the Vidalia city Finance Director is ready to close the books under his tenure and run the duties over to his successor. At Monday night’s council meeting, Bill Bedingfield sat in the audience for the first time in over a decade as Amy Murray reported at her first council meeting. But even though his official day of retirement passed effective December 31, Bedingfield is not out of City Hall Completely.

“I’m staying a while to help Amy learn the software,” he said. “It’s different than what she used in Glennville, but she’s catching on quickly.”

Bedingfield said he has seen a lot of change since he began in February 2003, but even in the current pandemic, things are still running rather smoothly.

“Even in the years when things weren’t so good, the people of Vidalia held on,” he said. “A few years we saw businesses and factories closed, but we made it through as a city. Even now with this pandemic and trying to keep our employees safe even by having to close City Hall to the public, our customers have been fantastic and so understanding.”

He concluded, “It’s been a fantastic run and I hope it continues.”