Salisbury City Manager Lane Bailey is shaking up the city’s management structure less than two months after taking the reins.

Bailey on Friday began an administrative restructuring process that includes Assistant City Manager John Sofley and will continue into budget discussions.

In an email, Bailey announced the shift of three high-level employees to other, administrative positions. Sofley, who served as interim city manager before Bailey came to Salisbury, will become the assistant city manager of Fibrant and related services. Sofley previously served as the assistant city manager of finance. The other, immediate management changes include promoting Rodney Harrison from transit manager to transit director and Teresa Harris from financial services manager to finance director.

Bailey said he will recommend hiring a parks and recreation director in the city’s fiscal year 2015-2016 budget. He also hopes to hire a communications director.

“Overall, it’s the best thing we need to do for the organization right now,” Bailey said about the immediate and upcoming changes.

He said Sofley’s change shouldn’t be considered a demotion, but rather a sign of Fibrant’s importance to the city. Bailey said he hopes to make Fibrant an enterprise fund — an operation that funds its expenses through its own revenues. Presently, Bailey said Fibrant — the city’s municipal Internet network — is partially funded through the city’s general fund.

“We are in much better shape than a few years go, but we still have things to do operationally to keep the system viable,” Bailey said. “Fibrant is the most significant operation that we have at the moment and it’s one thing that distinguishes Salisbury”

Sofley’s move to oversee Fibrant and related services is the second recent change in administration of the city’s fiber-optic broadband system. In December, Salisbury hired Kent Winrich to oversee Fibrant, Information Services Technology, Traffic Operations and Facilities Maintenance.

Salisbury’s debt owed on its broadband services, which includes Fibrant, is $33.4 million, according to the city’s latest audit. A budget of the Fibrant fund provided by city staff, shows the department’s total revenue at $6.24 million. More than $3 million of the city’s expenses for Fibrant are bond interest or bond principal payments.

Bailey said Harrison’s move is mostly a reclassification. Harrison will have similar duties, but will become a member of the city’s management team, Bailey said.

The city’s transit recently moved from a Rural Area Program to an Urbanized Area Program because of a population increase from the 2010 census. As a result, the city’s transit system was designated as a new grantee through the Federal Transit Administration.

Bailey said Salisbury could receive additional federal funding for its transit system as a result of its move from rural to urban.

Harris’ move to Finance Director is a product of Sofley’s change to oversee Fibrant. Bailey said Harris would also have similar job duties. Her job change is a promotion, Bailey said.

Harris served as financial services manager, her previous position, since 2012.

Bailey said the immediate and future changes are a product of a personal management style.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.