BASTROP, Texas — On Tuesday, the Bastrop City Council voted unanimously to approve two contracts with consulting firms who will identify interim and long-term city managers. Bastrop City's assistant manager Trey Job will fill the vacancy until the replacements are found.
“The single most important decision facing the city council is selecting Bastrop’s next city manager. We have so many wonderful things happening in Bastrop right now, but we also have our share of challenges ahead of us, as does any growing and thriving community,” said Mayor Connie Schroeder.
Strategic Government Resources was hired to identify an interim city manager, and Chris Hartung Consulting LLC will secure a long-term city manager. Schroeder is confident that the two firms "are the right partners to help us achieve our goals."
SGR is one of the largest local government executive search firms in the nation and is the largest provider of local government interim management services in Texas. SGR will search for an interim city manager to allow for extensive time to research a qualified long-term candidate.
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The council agreed on hiring Chris Hartung Consulting because of Hartung's experience as a former city manager. Shroeder said, "[Hartung] knows the skills required to run a city effectively."
The hunt for a new city manager followed shortly after former Bastrop City Manager Lynda Humble's resignation at the end of January.
Humble abruptly resigned after accusing city council members of creating a hostile work environment. According to our partners at the Austin American-Statesman, Humble was frustrated with the mayor's and some council members' propensity to micromanage her.
Humble delivered a 62-page memo to the city council that detailed the "irreparable trust issues that are detrimental to the city manager's ability to continue to be successful," according to the Statesman.
In her memo, she said she was often given low priority tasks. "This behavior illustrates a lack of knowledge and professional background to understand the scope and impact of the big issues," said Humble.
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