Council narrows charter oversight of top municipal officers, keeps manager control of staff

Lago Vista councilors on Monday clarified which senior positions should require council approval and which should remain within the city manager’s authority.

The group agreed the city manager should retain authority to appoint and remove most department heads, subject to notifying the mayor and informing council; but council will reserve approval authority for a small set of municipal officers: the city attorney, city secretary, municipal judge, police chief and assistant city manager. “Those would be the five positions that council would retain approval authority for either hiring or firing,” one council member summarized.

Members discussed the need for immediate interim appointments when critical roles are vacated (for example, police chief or city attorney), and favored language allowing the city manager to name an interim immediately with the condition that the appointment be considered by council at the next regular meeting or within a short timeframe.

Council also asked staff to define “municipal officers” clearly in the charter so the list of positions requiring council approval is unambiguous, and to ensure the charter language protects the city from litigation risk by confirming proper procedures and HR processes are followed in terminations.

Next steps: staff will prepare draft charter wording that (1) lists municipal officers and clarifies interim appointment review timelines, and (2) aligns personnel provisions with state law and the city’s rules of procedure.