City Manager Recruitment - City of Hutto, Texas
OVERVIEW Welcome to Hutto, Texas where we passionately serve the public through innovation, sustainability, and diversity for the enrichment of current and future generations. While the population in 2000 was just 1,250, nearly 25,000 people now call the growing community home. Hutto is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, and its easy to see why - the people make the difference. People choose Hutto for the active neighborhoods, a strong sense of community, for the dedicated teachers and administrators at the high-performing Hutto ISD, and for the ability to have all a small town life has to offer while still being just 25 minutes from the heart of the Texas State Capitol. Hutto has been recently recognized as the “Top Place in Texas to Raise a Family”, the “#1 Local City (in the Austin area) For Young Couples, “One of the Top 100 Places in Major Markets to Locate a Business” and is consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing and safest cities in the country. SERVICES & ORGANIZATION Hutto is a full-service city that partners with the Williamson County Emergency Services District #3 to provide fire service and Williamson County to provide emergency medical services to the community. The City operates on a $30 million total budget, $10.7 million of which is dedicated to the general fund. There are currently approximately 94 FTE authorized. The City provides water distribution and wastewater collection services, but contracts for treatment at both utilities. Hutto has secured water purchase agreements from multiple providers in order to provide ample access to water for the foreseeable future. While the rapid growth continually pressures access to resources in the short-term, Hutto has been fiscally prudent and consistently maintains a general fund balance in excess of 25% of operations. Hutto’s AA- bond rating verifies the financial and fiscal sustainability of the organization. The Hutto Economic Development Corporation is funded by a 1/2 cent sales tax (a “4A” corporation”) and currently generates nearly $750,000 annually to enhance economic development activities. HEDC is governed by a Board of Directors that are appointed by the Hutto City Council. LOCATION Hutto is conveniently located along State Highway 130 and US Highway 79 in Williamson County, just 25 minutes from the downtown Austin and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The community is located within Texas’ population triangle with more than 18 million people in a 200-mile radius in the metro areas of Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Still, because Hutto lies on the outer-ring of the Austin metro area, you can be in native pastureland and the beautiful rolling Texas Hill Country within 5 minutes of City Hall. QUALITY OF LIFE The low cost of housing, quality education opportunities and access to jobs are the main reasons people move to Hutto. The people and the quality of life are the reason they stay in Hutto. Although it has been growing very quickly, neighbors know one another and are actively engaged in the community. Nearly 85% of the community rated Hutto as either “Excellent” or “Good” for Overall Quality of Life in a recent Citizen Survey. From pre-school to college, Hutto takes education seriously. Hutto ISD recently became the first school district in the area to offer a full-day Head Start program. Each of the six elementary schools, two middle schools and Hutto High School are all rated either “Recognized” or “Exemplary” and the high school mascot, the Hippo, is proudly displayed throughout town. A wide variety of higher education programs, including graduate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, technical programs, associate’s degrees and multiple certificates are available at the state-of-the-art East Williamson County Higher Education Center - Hutto. The Higher Education Center is a partnership between Temple College, Texas State Technical College and Texas A&M University-Central Texas, and is designed to offer citizens and employers convenient access to higher education and practical job training within Williamson County. The athletic, cultural, and educational offerings of the University of Texas’ flagship Austin campus are just 25 minutes from Hutto, and Dell Diamond, home of the Texas Rangers’ AAA Minor League affiliate Round Rock Express baseball team is less than a mile from the City. GOVERNANCE The City operates as a home rule municipality under a charter and is structured as a Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor and six City Council Members are elected at-large in non-partisan elections with staggered three-year terms and no term limits. The City Council appoints and removes the City Manager with five votes and the City Manager appoints the City Attorney, Municipal Judge, City Secretary and all other department heads. The City Council appoints various boards and commissions in both advisory and governing capacities. CANDIDATE PROFILE The City Manager is the chief administrative and executive officer of the City and is responsible for administering business in the best interest of the City at all times. The City Council is seeking a leader who is personally dedicated to and has shown a willingness and ability to develop and maintain relationships with a variety of community stakeholders. Trustworthy transparency and consistent communication are vital to the effective working relationship between the City Manager and the City Council. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES The following key accountabilities have been developed in order to help provide clear expectations for the next City Manager. Satisfactory performance of each key accountability is critical to success in this position.
Align city services, finances, resources and partnerships to achieve the city’s established vision, strategic goals and directives, providing effective, ethical leadership in a manner that ensures city governance and economic development is proactive and poised to meet growth requirements.
Effectively develop and manage the City’s budget in a fiscally responsible manner that supports the strategic direction and priorities of the City Council.
Hire, develop and manage a top performing, highly motivated staff.
In a timely manner, organize, produce and communicate all information for the City Council that enables the Council to generate useful discussion, act swiftly and make fully informed decisions that do not conflict with local, state or federal laws.
Remain informed, involved and serve as advocate and first line of representation for the City’s interests related to other organizations within the greater Austin economic region and the State.
Serve with a high degree of visibility in the community, both on and off the job to ensure consistency and clarity of communications to the Mayor and all City Council Members and that city services are being delivered efficiently and effectively.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE Hutto is seeking a well-trained and experienced City Manager. If you have at least seven years of management experience, preferably within a city of comparable or larger size and complexity, and can demonstrate success each of the key accountabilities, you are a candidate that we want to meet. A bachelors degree is required and a masters degree in public or business administration is preferred. Hutto has consistently experienced double-digit percentage growth each year over the past decade, and is poised to continue that growth for the foreseeable future. Significant experience managing within growth communities and a proven economic development track record are highly desirable skill-sets for the successful candidate. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS The starting salary will be very competitive for the best candidates, generally ranging from $130,000 to $170,000, dependent upon the experience, qualifications, and proven track record of the successful candidate. The City expects to negotiate an employment agreement and a reasonable relocation assistance package for the selected City Manager. Hutto offers a comprehensive benefits package consisting of health, dental and life insurance along and access to a variety of enhanced insurance options, vacation leave, sick leave, and twelve paid holidays. The City participates in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) with five-year vesting and 2:1 matching of the employee’s 7% contribution. The City offers an optional 457 plan through ICMA-RC. Residency within the City will be required and timing may be negotiated as part of the employment agreement. APPLICATION PROCESS Apply online at http://www.jdgraygroup.com/current-searches. The position will remain open until filled, and the first review of candidates is expected to occur September 16th.