Garza announces more changes at City Hall

A new memo outlines yet another shake-up at the city courtesy of interim City Manager Jesús Garza.

City Council reappointed Garza interim city manager in February, following a vote that fired City Manager Spencer Cronk from the position. Since then, he has introduced a series of changes to the organizational structure of City Hall. The new memo, which was sent to Council members on Friday, explained the newest staffing changes would be in effect immediately. 

The memo starts with the announcement that Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales will retire in January after 17 years at the city. 

“Working for the City of Austin has been an honor,” said Gonzales in the memo. “And, while this is a tough decision, I feel it is time for me to start a new chapter in my life. My plan is to continue living in Austin as my family is native to the area and I wish nothing but the best for our community.”

It’s not just the length of his tenure at the city that makes Gonzales’ retirement significant. The change has also sparked a shuffling by Garza that will see his newly appointed chief of staff, Susana Carbajal, overseeing Human Resources, Communications & Technology Management, Information Security, Innovation, the Office of Civil Rights, the Equity Office, Office of Sustainability, the Resilience Office, and the Small and Minority Business Department.

Notably, five of those departments were part of a thwarted reorganization during this year’s budget process. That proposal would have seen the Equity and Civil Rights offices merge with the Small and Minority Business Resources Department to create a Civic and Business Equity Department and move the Sustainability and Resilience offices to the Planning Department. However, after public protest about the plan by community groups, it was scrapped. 

“I’m honored and thrilled to continue serving the City of Austin in this new role,” said Carbajal in the memo. “I look forward to collaborating and working with the City’s executive leadership team, departments, and Council to prioritize the needs of the community, achieve positive outcomes, and enhance our customer service.”

Carbajal will not be the only new member of the city manager’s office. Garza writes, “I am also moving forward with creating a Deputy City Manager position to further augment my Executive Team. What I envision is that this individual will oversee functions responsible for key Council priorities like Homelessness and Affordability. 

“Additionally, this new role will have responsibility over those departments that are moving under the Chief of Staff temporarily,” continued Garza. “Once filled, which I envision doing by the end of the year, my expectation is that the individual selected will be able to establish greater visibility for those issues and departments that fall under their purview and more importantly, be able to put the appropriate emphasis on fulfilling our mission within these key areas.” 

Finally, Garza revealed that he has asked David Gray to serve as interim homeless strategy officer, following the departure of Dianna Grey. Gray comes from a special assignment to evaluate the city’s organizational structure, but was previously the assistant director of the Economic Development Department.

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