Florida strikes again! This time a paper has published the ranking scores a recruiter assigned to each of the city manager candidates along with their ranking methodology.
A village in Wisconsin decided it would be prudent to not raise water rates for more than 20 years. Guess how that’s going!
A town in Massachusetts says they will need to layoff 50 people to cut their deficit, a Virginia administrator bounces after just four months, and in Texas — we have a battle royale pissing match between a mayor who wants to fire the city manager and a council majority that wants to keep him.
All that and more in this week’s news after the job listings.
Job Board Postings
It is free to post all of your senior and executive level recruitments over at the AAME job board. If you would like to include them in this newsletter, select the $199 option.
City/County Manager Recruitments
CO: Craig - City Manager (Until Filled) | in-house
IA: Cedar Falls - City Administrator (1/30/2026) | CB-Assoc
TX: Lamesa - City Manager (1/16/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Nederland - City Manager (1/23/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Surfside Beach - City Administrator (1/30/2025) Clear Career
VA: Hopewell - City Manager (First Review 1/16/2026) CB & Assoc.
Other
PA: Cranberry Township - Director of Utilities (2/9/2026) | in-house
TX: Dumas - Finance Director (1/30/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Liberty - Assistant Police Chief (1/19/2025) | Clear Career
TX: Marble Falls - Finance Director (2/7/2026) | Clear Career
TX: Wichita Falls - Chief Building Official (1/27/2026) | Clear Career
FL: Recruiter’s Ranking Methodology and Candidates’ Scores Published in Paper
When I read about the recruiter’s methodology in this article I was irritated and fuming on behalf of the candidates. I sat on it for nearly two weeks before I contacted Warren Hutmacher over at Sumter Consulting to get his perspective. We had a good chat and he’s agreed to come on the City Manager Unfiltered podcast to address my concerns.
I would love to hear your thoughts about how their rankings were constructed/weighted for this recruitment and how this information was communicated to the public. While I have seen candidates ranked often by the governing body for finalist selections and interviews, I am not sure I can recall ever seeing a recruiter’s scoring system and rankings published like this in a standalone brochure that was also shared publicly.
TX: Judge’s ruling leaves Progreso city manager in limbo
Fascinating situation in Texas where a mayor is trying to get rid of the city manager even though the manager has the council majority supporting him.
When the council recently sought to extend Pete Trevino’s contract on a 4-3 vote, the mayor vetoed it. The mayor contends that since his contract expired — the city manager needs to hit the road.
However, the city charter states that a city manager shall serve an indefinite term and can only be removed with a majority vote of the council. Trevino’s attorney says that the Texas Local Government Code maintains that the council’s authority cannot be superseded when there is a conflict like a mayoral veto.
The police department says they aren’t getting involved and a judge has set a trial date for April 27th to get to the bottom of it.
WI: It is not "fiscally conservative" to keep water rates the same for 20+ years
One Wisconsin village has not raised water rates since 2002 and their proposal to raise it by up to 84% is being met with shock by some residents.
When you keep rates artificially low for an extended period of time, you are punishing future rate payers. And when you are forced to inevitably raise rates -- you will find that the ones who benefited from your incompetence will still be angry or frustrated after they got a free ride for 20 years.
Other News Around the Country
AL: How much will a city promise to land Olive Garden? In one North Alabama city, price tag is $600,000
AL: Cullman terminates wastewater treatment plant superintendent following arrest for recording men in the restroom
FL: Brooksville terminates firefighters’ pension plan amid protests
FL: Paper gives Daytona Beach resident publicity even though he only has 109 signatures on his online petition to end city manager's employment
FL: Florida’s CFO/DOGE Initiative claims 'wasteful,' 'excessive' spending in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties
FL: Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton Earns Top Scores During Annual Evaluation
GA: Fort Valley officials fire police chief, city administrator; change police office locks
IL: $260K In Pay For Clarendon Hills Firefighter With Other Duties
MA: Marblehead reveals $8.4M budget deficit, predicts 50+ layoffs without override
MI: Edmore manager top pick to lead Lake Odessa
MI: Liberty Township Calls the Cops on Grandma’s Sewing Circle
MI: Tuscola County may split top job into two as Administrator/Controller phases out her employment
MN: City Administrator Matt Staehling will leave his role in Duluth on February 28, 2026
MN: Mille Lacs County announces that County Administrator Dillon Hayes has submitted his resignation
PA: Lock Haven city manager terminated
SC: Hanahan city administrator said former fire chief was frequently absent. He claims he was unfairly punished.
TN: 16 Resumes Submitted For Greeneville City Manager Position
TX: Icy weather breaks line, empties Bandera’s landmark water tower; no residents impacted
TX: Fort Worth benefits administrator approves firefighter’s treatment after backlash
VA: Buchanan has gone through 8 town managers in 7 years. Some residents see a common thread.
VA: Special prosecutor sought to review allegations against former Patrick County administrator
VA: Warren County chief administrator quits after 4 months, leaves with $113,000 in severance
WA: Benton City considers potential need for city administrator role
WA: Interim city manager resigns: Sunnyside begins search for city manager again
Compensation & Contracts News
FL: Lake Placid renews annual contract for city manager; bumps salary to $119,000
IL: Antioch picks new village administrator from more than 150 applicants; will earn $195,000