The two candidates for Austin’s city manager position each made their case to the public Monday for why they should be chosen for the job. Sara Hensley, the current city manager of Denton, Texas, and T.C. Broadnax, current but soon departing city manager of Dallas, fielded questions for about 30 minutes each in an interview […]
city manager
The city manager oversees the administrative segment of the City of Austin and is one of four Council direct reports.
Posted inCity Hall
Study finds city employees distrustful of city’s ethics conduct
City employees who responded to a survey on the city’s behavior with regard to ethics gave the city lower marks for trust and accountability as compared to how city management rated the city. Employees surveyed also showed a greater fear of retaliation for reporting ethics violations than management respondents did. These are two major conclusions […]
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City nixes $2M McKinsey homelessness study, signaling poor cooperation among partners
City Manager Jesús Garza has canceled a potential $2 million contract with consulting giant McKinsey & Company to perform an analysis of efforts to address homelessness by the city, Travis County, Integral Care and Central Health. Garza released a memo Thursday morning that suggested there was a less-than-ideal chance of the needed collaboration and financial […]
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Possible Austin city manager candidate causes ‘s—show,’ but also sheds light on recruiting process
Austin’s been without a permanent city manager since Spencer Cronk was fired a year ago. The search for his replacement began in earnest this year, and it took a pretty messy turn when a possible candidate for the position called Austin a “- – – -show.” In a leaked recording of a Zoom call, Jeff Mihelich, the city […]
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Despite micromanaging concerns, the city’s telework policy advances
After a debate on how granular the policy should be, the Planning Commission has given its blessing to a series of amendments that will help shape the city’s telework policy. The amendments were initiated by the Planning Commission last year as a change to Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan. During the height of the pandemic, the […]
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Art Acevedo says he won’t take job overseeing Austin police
Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said he is no longer joining city leadership. City leaders on Friday announced Acevedo would take on a new role overseeing policing. The decision sparked controversy and came as a surprise to some local officials and social justice advocates. In a new statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Acevedo said he […]
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Garza appoints new CEO at Austin airport
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza has announced the appointment of Ghizlane Badawi as the interim chief executive officer for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Badawi has worked in a variety of leadership roles at ABIA over the past 15 years. She has most recently served as deputy CEO, focusing on operational resiliency and expanding the airport’s infrastructure […]
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City splits homeless services into new, separate office
The city has created a dedicated office for homelessness services, in a move intended to let city staff address that area more quickly and decisively. Interim City Manager Jesús Garza informed City Council of the change in a memo released Tuesday. He signaled some of his plans for solving homelessness in June, when he assigned […]
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City releases new telework standards for its employees
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza has issued a telework policy for city employees. In a Friday memo, Garza explained that a new standards will, in general, allow for 50 percent telework within a two-week pay period. All executives will continue to work in the office during the work week, as will front-line operational staff like […]
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City Council moves toward enshrining remote work options
City Council recently approved a resolution that initiates amendments to the city’s Climate Equity Plan, Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan and the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan regarding remote work policies for city employees. The amendments – recommended by the Planning Commission and supported by the city employees’ union – would ensure remote work policies align with […]
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Council to consider city manager search firm this week
Following a national search, City Council is poised to choose Mosaic Public Partners, LLC to help recruit a new city manager. Former City Manager Spencer Cronk was fired on Feb. 15, and Council immediately appointed former City Manager Jesús Garza as interim city manager. Mayor Kirk Watson, who sat on the committee recommending the firm […]
Posted inPolice
Council members question Garza’s promotion of police oversight director
Interim City Manager Jesús Garza’s recent promotion of Gail McCant to director of the Office of Police Oversight has rankled City Council members, who say he backtracked on a prior commitment to conduct a national search and skirted transparency considerations. McCant previously served as interim director of the office and brings with her a long […]