KENNEBUNK — Town Manager Barry Tibbetts has announced he will not seek renewal of his contract, ending a nearly 25-year career with the city.

Tibbetts was hired by the town as tax assessor in 1993, and was appointed town manager in 1998. His current contract expires in June.

He notified the Board of Selectmen at its Sept. 27 meeting that he would be leaving next year, but it’s not because he’s dissatisfied with the job.

“I’ve been very happy here,” said Tibbetts in a phone interview Tuesday morning.

He said he looked over his career and at the bigger picture, talked with his wife, and decided it was time to move on.

“There’s a season for everything. You’ve got to know when to stay and when to leave,” he said.

According to a press release from the town, Tibbetts developed policies that have spurred economic development and created more than 700 jobs, revitalized the downtown and village centers, rebuilt two seawalls protecting the beach area, regionalized dispatch services, consolidated many functions within the town’s government, and maintained a AAA bond rating through much of the last decade.

Tibbetts was the recipient of the Linc Stackpole Managerof the-Year Award in 2011, an honor conferred by the Maine Town City and County Management Association.

Tibbetts said hiring a new town manager can take four to six months, and he wanted to give the board time to find a replacement.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Richard Morin said Tibbetts is required to give six months’ notice, so he’s given the town three months more notice than required. “That was very nice of him,” he said.

Morin, who’s been on the board for six years, said Tibbetts is a man with great vision and energy, and that it has been a privilege to work with him.

“I’m sad to see him go,” he said, though he said he thinks Tibbetts’ influence on the town will live on.

Morin said Tibbetts will formerly submit his intentions on Oct. 11. The board has not yet come up with a plan on how it’s going to move forward with hiring a replacement, he said, and will likely appoint a current staff member as an interim town manager prior to Tibbetts’ departure so there is a smooth transition.

Tibbetts said he’s leaving on a high note, and that change can be invigorating and a way to stay fresh.

“I’m just over 60,” he said, and still has the energy to try something new.

Tibbetts said he doesn’t know if he’ll pursue a job in the private or public sector after he leaves. “I’ve got time to think about it.”

Tibbetts, who lives in Scarborough, said he would often bring his wife and three daughters to events in Kennebunk, and that his family has grown to love the town.

“Kennebunk’s been a great place to work,” said Tibbetts. “I can’t say enough about my staff.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.