Outgoing City Manager TC Broadnax may be leaving office sooner than expected, a City Council committee agenda appears to indicate.
After seven years with the city, Broadnax announced he would resign in February after a majority of the City Council called for his resignation. Several City Council members said in statements to the press that the relationship between Broadnax and Mayor Eric Johnson has made it extremely difficult to conduct city business. He said in his resignation letter that his last day of work at City Hall will be June 3.
That same month, Johnson directed the majority of the city administrator search to a special executive committee. The committee is comprised of Councilors Tennell Atkins, Carla Mendelsohn, Jesse Moreno, Paul Ridley and Kathy Stewart. The only item on the commission's Tuesday agenda was a discussion of “the employment of TC Broadnax City Manager and the appointment date of Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.” The committee immediately went into adjournment.
Tolbert, who currently serves as the city's deputy mayor (a title also held by John Fortune), has been working with Broadnax since joining the company in 2017. Her bio on the city's website calls her “the city's top trusted advisor.”
In February, the City Council voted 12-2 to appoint Mr. Tolbert to the interim position effective June 3, the date Mr. Broadnax had originally proposed as his last day at Dallas City Hall. Since Tuesday's meeting was just a discussion, any action by the full council will likely occur at a future City Council meeting. The draft agenda for the April 10 meeting does not yet indicate any action is planned.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson announced last week that Broadnax was the only finalist for mayor after narrowing the field from 39 applicants to two. He said the council plans to vote on the adoption at Thursday's meeting. In June, Watson told Austin station KVUE that he hoped to have a new city manager in place by Sept. 1.
On the Austin City Council bulletin board, council members were enthusiastic about hiring.
“TC's breadth of experience tipped the balance for me. Not only has he managed a city of our size and complexity, but he has particularly demonstrated an ability to navigate difficult disputes,” said the City Council member. Leslie Poole said.
Her colleague Natasha Harper-Madison agreed, saying she felt Broadnax had the most experience and knowledge about the specific challenges facing the city. She cited his responses on transportation and mobility, homelessness, housing and land use as a deciding factor in her decision.
“Overall, I am very confident that we made the best decision for the great city of my hometown, Austin, Texas, and welcome our new City Manager, TC Broadnax, to our team.” she wrote. “He has an exciting and hard job ahead of him and I'm confident he's ready for it.”
During his introduction to fellow Denton city manager candidate Sara Hensley at Austin City Hall, Broadnax said he would bring similar programs to Austin, including rapid rehousing for homeless individuals, that have been successful in Dallas. He said he feels he can do it.
“We can have the same kind of success here because we can have a similar focus on how we deal with homelessness and really have an all-hands-on-deck attitude. ” he said.
At that City Hall, he said his decision to apply for the job depended on timing. He applied on Feb. 25, according to Austin city records.
“I believe this is the perfect place, the perfect time, and my new perspective will at least help shed light on new things the city might do,” he said.
In a survey of residents and staff during the search process, Austin City Council members found that the main concerns for the next city manager are housing and homelessness, expanding city services for a growing city, and police. It was revealed that the staffing was as follows. Residents also ranked effective communication and honesty at the top of the list of qualities they look for in city managers.
Meanwhile, the city of Dallas has officially launched a search. The deadline for search firms to submit proposals ended last week. The City Council selects a company, which then posts a list and begins the search for a new city manager. Once the application day closes, the company will present a list of qualified candidates to the council, which will narrow the field down to fewer than a few finalists.
While that's going on, Tolbert will likely lead the city in early execution of the $1.25 billion bond in 2024. On May 4, voters will decide on 10 proposals ranging from infrastructure to parks, housing, economic development and more. He will likely remain at the helm while the board considers the Charter Review Committee's recommendations. If the City Council approves the amendment to the city charter, he will be on the November ballot.
It's unclear whether Broadnax will receive severance pay. Eight City Council members reportedly worked behind the scenes to formally request his resignation. The action could trigger a clause in the contract that requires the city to pay him his full annual salary of $423,246 in severance.
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Bethany Erickson
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Bethany Erickson is D Magazine. Throughout her career, she has written about real estate, education policy, the stock market, and crime, sometimes simultaneously. She hates lima beans and 5 a.m. and takes her SAT practice tests for her fun.
