Austin council to vote on new city manager
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Austin City Hall. Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
The Austin City Council is poised Thursday to name T.C. Broadnax, Dallas city manager for the past seven years, as Austin's new city manager.
Why it matters: The city manager is basically the city CEO, carrying out the legislative and policy objectives of the elected council members.
- The city manager prepares and executes Austin's $5.5 billion budget and oversees a city staff of more than 16,000 employees.
Catch up quick: Austin's last full-time city manager, Spencer Cronk, was fired after the city's botched response to a winter storm last year that left hundreds of thousands of Austinites without power and amid tensions with City Council members over police union negotiations.
- Interim city manager Jesús Garza, the former CEO of Ascension, has worked closely with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, his longtime friend, to streamline and improve city operations.
- But Watson made the appointment of a full-time manager a priority — and Garza appeared to wear out his welcome with Council members in January after he appointed the polarizing former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo to an assistant city manager job and then was forced to withdraw the offer.
Between the lines: Citing her reputation for accessibility, some city employee unions had favored the other finalist, Sara Hensley, a former Austin city official who is currently the city manager of Denton.
- In a public forum last month, Broadnax highlighted the creation of Dallas' first Office of Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs; his efforts to shepherd unhoused people into housing; his long experience in city management; and his implementation of Dallas' racial equity initiatives.
What they're saying: "The scope of TC's experience tipped the balance for me: he has not only managed cities of our size and complexity, he has specifically demonstrated the ability to work through difficult controversies," Austin Council Member Leslie Pool said on a city message board last month.
- Broadnax currently has a base salary of around $423,000 in Dallas, and Cronk's base salary was nearly $388,000, per the American-Statesman.
- Starting date and pay will be the subject of negotiation in the coming days.
What's next: Broadnax will be expected to reach a long-term contract with the police union, address homelessness and figure out a way to exit the coal-burning Fayette Power Plant, all City Council priorities.
Our Dallas colleague Tasha's thought bubble: Broadnax has been an elusive, behind-the-scenes figure in Dallas politics, occasionally drawing ire from City Council members but never quite enough to be fired.
- He was pretty scandal-free, managed a decent budget and weathered flighty Dallas politicians. But, in the end, it's not really clear if the city is better for his tenure.
- Ultimately, he was allowed to resign and will likely receive a Dallas severance before his fresh start in Austin.