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Management
Messenger Reach Out to Your
Colleagues December
2005 The Texas City Management Association is pleased to send you this month’s edition of the Management Messenger. It features recent changes in city management positions around the state, current job listings, names of new members, information about upcoming educational events, as well as news about our colleagues. You play an important role in the ethics process. Acquaint yourself with the Code of Ethics and its Rules of Procedure for Enforcement . Please remember to browse through YOUR Web site, http://www.tcma.org
Special Point of Interest
Resist any encroachment of professional responsibilities, believing the member should be free to carry out official policies without interference, and handle each problem without discrimination on the basis of principle and justice. Guideline—Information Sharing: The member should openly share information with the governing body while diligently carrying out the member’s responsibilities as set forth in the charter or enabling legislation. This tenet serves to highlight the evolution that has taken place in the local government profession. Tenet 10 provides clear advice to members that while carrying out your duties you have an obligation to keep your elected officials informed. A Case for Sharing Information The city of Honolulu, Hawaii began publishing a monthly online expense report of its city councilmembers. The idea was to allow the public a “transparent” view and an accountability system of its civil servants. Since its inception in the summer of 2004, the public response has been positive. Similar to that of Honolulu, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado also provides an online report as well as an archive of the information on its site. Each of these cities have indicated a boost in public confidence in its city officials. In December, the nomination process will begin for the 2006-2007 officers. The Nominating Committee will consider each person’s candidacy in light of the current composition of the Board and strive to achieve a balance among geography, size of city, ethnicity, and gender factors. The Nominating Committee encourages members to incorporate into their decisions the following factors:
The nominations will be accepted for the following statewide offices: The Council-Manager Form of Government: Dallas and Beyond In May of this year, Proposition 1, also known as the Blackwood Proposition, and endorsed by the Dallas Citizens Council and the Greater Dallas Chamber went to ballot. While the referendum was defeated, the proposition would have eliminated the position of city manager and the elected mayor would have been elevated to the position of the city’s chief executive. This would have expanded the mayor’s responsibilities to include proposing the annual budget and appointing department heads. In response to the proposition by opposing city councilmembers, a new referendum was designed and placed on the November ballot. The new referendum would have allowed the mayor to hire and fire the city manager, and the city manager’s title would have become Chief Operating Officer (COO). The COO would have shared the responsibility of designing the budget with the mayor. The COO would also have had the responsibility of hiring and firing the police and fire chiefs with the approval of the mayor. Checks and balances were also provided in the revised referendum that would have allowed the city council to fire the COO with a simple majority, as well as, appoint an auditor and controller without mayoral oversight. The officer with budget oversight would have been provided the authority to check the mayor’s fiscal power. The proposition was again defeated with a 53 percent to 47 percent descenting vote. Due to Texas’ election laws, TCMA was unable to be a participant in this ballot issue. However, TCMA is currently examining its legal options to determine how it can best position itself to not only educate citizens about the merits of forms of government but, more actively participate in the proceedings. Mike Conduff, City Manager of Denton, will retire on December 31. Tom Pence, has been hired as the City Manager of Hugo. Ray Kendall, announced his retirement from City Management. Beginning January 3, 2006, Brad Stafford, former City Administrator of Sundown, will be the new City Manager of Navasota. Bill Davison will retire as City Manager of the city of Burleson on January 31, 2006. Curtis Hawk will become the new City Manager of Burleson on February 1. Karen Philippi, former City Manager of the city of Alpine, has been hired as the City Manager of Royce City. Chuy Garcia, has been selected as the interim City Manager. Donna Welsh will retire as the Town Manager of Trophy Club on December 3. Roger Unger will serve as the interim Town Manager. Jack Hamlett is no longer the City Manager of Sequin. Phyllis Peterson is no longer the City Manager for the city of Bulverde. Susan Thorpe will become the new Deputy City Manager for the city of Peoria, Arizona beginning January 9. Cliff Bowden is the new City Manager for the city of Canton. Kenneth Dowell is no longer the City Manager of the City of Llano. John Montgomery, former Public Works Director of the City of Llano, recently was selected to fill the position. Bobby Berger was selected as the new City Manager of the city of Luling effective on December 1. Click here to see if you qualify for TCMA Intransition Services. For a list of current city management job openings in Texas, please click here . Our sympathies are extended to the R. M. “Bob” Tinstman family. Bob died at the age of 77 on November 27. Bob had served as the City Manager of Abilene, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Austin, Texas. Michael Conduff and Sheryl Sculley were elected Fellows for the 2005 National Academy of Public Administration. Tom Muehlenbeck, City Manager of the city of Plano, was inducted as an honorary member in the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honorary society for public affairs.
Clarence E. Ridley Scholarship . One graduate student from a Texas university will be awarded $3,500 to be used for his or her school related expenses. In addition, the winner’s university will be awarded $1,500 in credit toward TCMA and TML education events. Deadline December 15, 2005. Barney L. Knight Texas Certified Public Manager Scholarship. One member of TCMA will be awarded $3,500 to provide full tuition to the Texas CPM Program, which is sponsored by the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service at Texas State University-San Marcos. Deadline December 15, 2005. Other funds available: TCMA Regional Training Fund. The Regional Training Fund is intended to help TCMA Regions pay the costs of eligible educational opportunities.
Make a note of TML’s upcoming “Public Funds Investment Law Workshops.” They will be held on December 8-9, 2005 in San Antonio, and on February 9-10, 2006, in Corpus Christi. Details and online registration are available at http://www.tml.org/ed_pubfunds.html . If you have some interesting news that you would like to see included in the Management Messenger, please e-mail messenger@tml.org. We also encourage you to visit the entire TML Web site at http://www.tml.org . ************************************************************* If you have some interesting news that you would like to see included in the Management Messenger, please e-mail messenger@tml.org . To report technical difficulties or update your contact information, please send an e-mail to database@tml.org. To place an online classified ad, click here.
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