City Manager

Home , Aransas Pass

The City Council of Aransas Pass, Texas is seeking an energetic, experienced public manager to the City’s next City Manager.

T h e C o m m u n i t y : Aransas Pass is located on the shore of Redfish Bay, a tidal water body between Corpus Christi Bay to the south and Aransas Bay to the north. The area is re- ferred to as “Saltwater Heaven” because of the many fishing and boating opportunities available. By Texas State Highway 35 and U.S. Route 181, Aransas Pass is 20 mi northeast of Corpus Chris- ti. The estimated popula- tion is 8,530. The city limits of Aransas Pass encompass most of Redfish Bay and its islands, most of which are in Nueces County, as well a portion of Aransas Bay in Aransas County. The land portion of the city is primarily in San Patri- cio County, extending north into Aransas County. The city is on the mainland of Texas and is connected to Mus- tang Island via a 6-mile-long causeway, and a free ferry that carries vehicles to the island. The City of Aransas Pass comprises a total area of 51.8 square miles. The total area of Aransas Pass is 20.71% land and 79.29% water, or 10.7 square miles of land and 41.1 square miles of water. Aransas Pass is a destination for water sports, fishing, birding, kayaking, and hunting. The city is home to Conn Brown Harbor and the largest hummingbird garden in Texas. Events such as the Shrimporee, a three-day event, held in June, as well as bay fishing on the Gulf Coast, keep visitors coming back to Aransas Pass. Resident’s and visitors are able to take advantage of a number of park and recreation facilities including Aquatic Park, a new addition to Community Park, which features a competition-sized swimming pool with 1-m and a 3-m diving boards. The Civic Center is host to boat shows, fishing tournaments and other events. Community Park also includes lighted baseball fields, with dugouts, bleachers, electronic score boards, a conces- sion stand, and public rest rooms. In the picnic area, 10 handicapped-accessible covered picnic tables are available. The playground features a merry-go-round, monkey bars, slides, rocking riding toys, a two-story wooden play structure, and digging toys. It is also handicapped-accessible. A paved walkway extends from the baseball field to an elevated gazebo overlooking the wetlands of the Aransas Pass Nature Trail. From there, handicapped- accessible walkways extend in two directions, ending around areas for bird and wildlife watching.

The Community: (Cont’d.) Conn Brown Harbor Park, spanning 5 acres (2.0 ha), has a boat ramp; it is located on Bigelow Street at the Intracoastal Waterway, Aransas Channel, and Conn Brown Harbor Turning Basin. It has two concrete boat ramps with docks, park benches, barbecue grills, shade structures with picnic tables, an open air picnic table, a T-head fishing pier with lighting, a public rest room, and three cleaning tables. San Patricio County Navigation District Marina, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) park, is located on Ransom Road. It is equipped with two double boat ramps and two covered boat shelters, an uncovered boat slip, and two boat trailer parking lots. This facility also has a recreational vehicle park with 36 spaces and hookups. It has two shelters with tables, running water, and lights. Wildlife viewing is available from three covered areas, with tables and barbecue grills, and a bait shop. Visitors can fish from a lighted fishing pier. The park has a separate children's playground with rock-riding toys and a jungle gym structure with a slide and climbing areas. Residents of Aransas Pass are served by the Aransas Pass Independent School District (APISD). The District is rated a “Met Standard” by the Texas Education Agency. Voters in the District approved a bond program in 2016. The District is currently under construction with a new elementary school as part of the bond program, which is expected to open in the Fall of 2018. Residents have access to higher education through Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, Del Mar College and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Governance: The City of Aransas Pass was in- corporated April 5, 1910. The City is governed by a City Council composed of a Mayor and four Council Members under a Home Rule City Char- ter which established the council-manager form of government. The positions of Mayor, Place 1 and Place 3 are elected during odd-numbered years and the positions of Place 2 and Place 4 are elected during even-numbered years for two-year terms. Members of the current City Council are: Mayor Adan Chapa is completing his second term as Mayor. He is running for re-election as Mayor in May. Phillip Hyatt has served on the City Council for eight years. He is not running for re-election in May. Vickie Abrego has served on the City Council for over eleven years. William “Billy” Ellis is in his third term on the Council. Carrie Scruggs is completing her first term on the City Council. She is running for a new term in May. The City Council is established as the policy making body of the City under the City Charter. The Council appoints the City Manager as the chief executive officer to direct the operations of the City government. The City Council also appoints the City Secretary, the Municipal Court Judge and the City Attorney. All other municipal employ- ees are appointed and removed by the City Manager or his/her designee. The City has established a Crime Con- trol and Prevention District and a Municipal Development District funded by dedicated sales tax levies. © 2017 Chris Hartung Consulting, LLC 2

Mission Statement We work closely with our citizens to provide services and facilities that provide an outstanding quality of life. In fact, we are dedicated to making Aransas Pass the most desirable place to live, work, play, and visit. We envision and work toward creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment, an informed citizenry, as well as high quality educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities, all within a robust and vibrant economic environment. We pledge, through a strong sense of teamwork and customer service, to be respectful of indi- vidual dignity and rights, to remain fiscally responsible, to ethically and responsively interact with our citizens, to innovate when addressing community needs, and, in doing all that, be an organization in which we are all proud to serve.

The Position: The current vacancy is the result of the resignation of the previous City Manager after five years of service. The City Manager oversees an organization with an annual budget for 2016-2017 of $14.4 million and 114.5 FTE’s. The City manager appoints a staff of department directors to manage the daily operations of a number of departments including Finance, Information Technology, Community Enrichment, Development Services, Public Safety, Utility and Harbor Master. Personal Qualities: In discussing the qualities for candidates to be the next City Manager, Council members mention a desire for broad experience in the management of a full service municipal government organization similar to Aransas Pass, including service as a city manager/administrator or assistant. city manager/ administrator. Experience with the development of programs to provide maintenance for aging infrastructure is seen as very important for the next city manager. In addition, the City Council will be seeking candidates who evidence some or all of the following qualities:

 A strong background in planning and development regulations in a growth environment.  Strong financial management knowledge with a reputation for a conservative approach to budgeting and ex- penses.  Experience managing capital projects, with a track record of completing projects on schedule and budget.  A manager with a reputation for effective delegation to subordinates and for holding them accountable or results.  A team player and team developer who has a track record as a successful mentor and leader of high performance organizations.  A record of successfully acquiring grants from the state and federal governments to supplement local revenues.  Well-developed communication skills and an un- derstanding that effective communications begins with effective listening.  Familiarity with economic development tools and incentives available under Texas law.  A forward-thinking visionary who is able to anticipate problems and develop practical strategies for addressing them.  Experience in a coastal community and with FEMA programs including flood insurance will be a plus.

Personal Qualities: (Cont’d.) City Council members are looking for candidates who would see the Aransas Pass City Manager position as a positive career move and who would look forward to becoming an active member of the community. Initial Priorities: The City Council will expect the new City Manager to give priority to the following issues. Aging Infrastructure-A major concern of the City Council is the aging infrastructure in the City. The City has purchased new equipment as part of a program to increase street maintenance. There is a need to develop a Master Drainage plan and for addi- tional maintenance for the utility systems. Also needed are Master Plans for the Wa- ter, Sewer and Parks systems. The City Council will be looking to the new City Manager to become familiar with these issues and develop recommendations for strengthening the City’s efforts to address Public Works aging infrastructure needs including meth- ods of financing projects. Economic Development-The City has made efforts to attract new businesses to the community and is interested in the redevelopment of Conn Brown Harbor. The City Council will expect the new City Manager to become familiar with these issues and take the lead in strengthening the City’s economic development efforts. Planning and Development Issues-As part of the City’s efforts to attract new businesses, the City Council is interested in having the new City Manager analyze the city’s development review process to identify ways it could be made more customer friendly. There is also a desire to look at potential annexation areas and develop recommendations for managing the ETJ area and growth of the City

Change of Solid Waste Contractor-The City Council has recently approved a contract for a new vendor to provide solid waste collection and disposal for the City. While the new contract will go into effect before the new City Manager is appointed, the Council will want him/her to become familiar with the situation and monitor this vital service.

Education and Experience: The position requires a bachelor’s degree in government, political science, public or business administration or a related field with a minimum of seven years of local government experience of which at least five years must have been in a city manager, assistant city manager or equivalent senior level position in an organization of comparable or larger size and complexity. A master’s degree is a plus. The selected candidate must pass a drug test, driver’s license check, criminal history background check, and social security number verification check prior to employ- ment and must have or be able to get a Class “C” Texas Driver’s License. Compensation: The starting salary is open and will depend upon background and qualifications of the successful candidate. The city benefits package includes medical, dental, and optional vision insurance. The City makes a contribution to dependent medical care. The City participates in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (6% - 2:1). The City pro- vides sick leave, vacation and holidays. To Apply: Send an electronic version of your current resume, salary history and a list of ten work-related references (including supervisory) with phone numbers ASAP to G. Chris Hartung at [email protected]. The first review of candidates will be May 1, 2017. Applicants for this position selected as finalists will be subject to a background review prior to interview. Under the Texas Public Information Act, information from your resume may be subject to release to the public.

The City of Aransas Pass is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages anyone interested in this position to apply. Aransas Pass desires diversity at all levels of its workforce!