In the end, Stan Farmer’s tenure in Selma will go down as a short one. But it will also go down as a crucially successful run for the departing town manager.

Mr. Farmer came to a town that was spending more money than it was taking in. He leaves a town that is taking in more money than it’s spending. That turnabout is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it suggests that fiscal discipline has returned to Town Hall. Second, it means Selma is putting money back into a savings account that had grown anemic as the town dipped into reserves to satisfy its spending appetite.

Mr. Farmer’s tenure has no doubt been hard on him personally. Most government budgets are made up of wages and benefits to employees. Selma now has fewer people with fewer perks, and no manager enjoys cutting people or their benefits.

Then again, a manager’s primary job is to implement the policies of his boss — the town council. He’s accountable not to the people at Town Hall but to the men and women who are accountable to taxpayers.

By hiring a consultant to help with its search, the Selma Town Council appears committed to making a good hire this time too. It’s even being deliberate in naming an interim manager, which suggests the council wants to make sure its next budget is as good as its last one.

But Mr. Farmer will not be easy to replace. Clearly, he heard his bosses when they told him to right Selma’s financial ship, and he made the hard choices needed to accomplish that.

In short, Selma taxpayers are better off for having had Mr. Farmer as their town manager. We wish him well as he moves on.