Lago Vista adds three director jobs, one pays up to $169,787.93

Dollar differences in this story are our calculations from the cited records.³

What changed and who decides

Under the city charter, the city manager runs the city's daily work and answers to the council. The council picks the manager. The manager can "give direction to all departments, offices, and agencies" of the city. The charter adds that hiring or removing department heads requires "Council approval."¹¹

On the city's new chart, the three executive directors report to the city manager, and the heads of finance, human resources, public works, and other departments sit below them.² The charter says other and additional departments "shall be established by ordinance," meaning a local law the council passes.¹²

How the city got here

On Sept. 17, 2026, the council adopted the 2026-27 budget 4 to 3.^13,14,15 Mayor Shane R. Saum and Council Members Adam Benefield and Amanda Chavarria voted against it.¹⁵ Our budget story explains the city's spending over time.

That budget sets the city manager's pay line at $225,000 and leaves the assistant city manager line at $0.⁶ The development services director line is $115,000.⁷

Four more director lines are $115,000 each. They are for finance, human resources, economic development, and parks and recreation.^16,17,18,19 The director of public works line is $115,000. That line sits in the Utility Fund.⁸ The library director line is $99,323, and the police chief line is $150,000.^20,21

On Oct. 1, 2026, the council voted 6 to 0 to appoint Ron Joy as interim (temporary) city manager. Mayor Pro Tem Norma Owen made the motion and Benefield seconded it. Council Member Jess Hall was absent.²² Joy was also the city's police chief at the time.²³

At that meeting, Joy said the city would contract with the firm Freese and Nichols for an engineer to serve as "Engineer / Dev. Serv. Director." Our land use map story reported that plan. The minutes, which spell the firm "Freeze," do not tie it to the new executive director jobs.²⁴

Our earlier story, Lago Vista council OKs staff pay changes, no cost made public, covered the next step.

On Oct. 15, 2026, the council held a regular meeting at 2:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 5803 Thunderbird. The agenda called part of the meeting a "closed Executive Session." One private item was about changing how city staff is set up.²⁵

Back in open session, the city attorney told the council it had received "an update regarding potential organizational chart changes from your interim city manager, Mr. Joy."²⁶ Mayor Pro Tem Norma Owen then made a motion.^9,25 Her motion was that staff "go ahead and implement as directed back in chambers in regard to personnel and their salaries."²⁷ Council Member Paul Prince seconded it.^9,25

The chair asked, "Is there any discussion on the motion?" and then said, "Hearing none." The chair called for ayes and then nays, and said, "It's approved unanimously."⁹

At the same meeting, the council was asked to "ratify the acceptance of Assistant Chief Thomas Franco as Interim Police Chief." Our story Lago Vista names Thomas Franco interim police chief covered that item.²³

Oct. 21, the announcement and the mayor's reasons

On Oct. 21, 2026, the city posted a news release titled "City of Lago Vista Approves New Organizational Structure." The release states the Mayor and City Council "have approved a new organizational structure." It does not name the meeting or the vote. We have not confirmed that the Oct. 15 motion is the approval the release describes.¹

The release names several goals for the structure. One goal is to help the city hire and keep a city manager "through the creation of three new Executive Director positions." Another is to "Reduce the number of direct reports to the City Manager, allowing for more focused leadership and oversight." A third is to "Align departments by function to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness." The release gives no pay, cost, or fund for the new jobs.¹

Saum posted a longer explanation on his public Facebook page the same day. He wrote that Cedar Park and Leander "often have similar positions under the title of Assistant City Managers." He wrote that the city manager has had "approximately 10+ department directors reporting directly" to the one job. He wrote that the executive directors "need to be leaders and mentors, not simply another layer of management."²⁸

Saum called city manager turnover "a longstanding challenge." He wrote that the challenge "has existed across multiple administrations, Mayors, and City Councils." He compared it to baseball, writing, "There is A, AA, AAA and the Majors." Some managers, he wrote, "see Lago Vista like an A or AA ballclub." He wrote that Lago Vista "needs to develop a farm system where we grow our own talent." He also hopes for "Executive Directors who are qualified to be the next City Manager themselves."²⁸

Saum wrote that in November the council will hold two strategic planning meetings "with an experienced municipal facilitator." He expects water and wastewater infrastructure, including how the city pays for it, to be "a major priority." He wrote that improving "our financial reporting, transparency, and budgeting processes should also be near the top of that discussion." The post does not give the cost of the new jobs, the fund that pays, or dates for the November meetings.²⁸

The new chart

The city's announcement showed the new chart.¹ The chart puts the three executive directors and the police chief on direct reporting lines to the city manager. The Administrative Services Executive Director oversees human resources, finance, the city court, and city computer systems.² This executive director would also draft the department's yearly budget.⁴ Utility billing and purchasing and contracts sit under the finance director.²

The Community & Development Services Executive Director oversees planning and zoning, building inspections, permitting, city mapping, and economic development. Two roles sit under the economic development director. They are an event coordinator and communication and marketing.² The job description requires a Texas "Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)." It also asks for a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.³

The Public & Municipal Services Executive Director oversees public works, parks and facilities, the golf course, the library, and the airport.² This executive director would also manage the city's list of big building and repair projects.⁵ Under the public works director are utilities, engineering and capital projects, streets and drainage, and the vehicle fleet.² The chart puts engineering under public works, while the Community & Development Services job description also covers "civil engineering."^2,3

The police chief oversees police officers and dispatch, and code compliance also sits under the police chief. The city secretary has a solid line to the city manager and a dotted line to the mayor and council. The city attorney has dotted lines to the council and the manager, and the city judge has dotted lines to the council and the city attorney.²

Each of the three job descriptions includes a duty to "Serve as Acting City Manager."^3,4,5 The Administrative Services and Public & Municipal Services postings close Nov. 2, 2026, at the end of business. The jobs page gives no closing date for the Community & Development Services posting.²⁹

What it could mean for taxpayers

The only posted pay is for the Community & Development Services job, at $117,095.12 to $169,787.93 a year.³ The budget's development services director line is $115,000.⁷ The bottom of the posted range is $2,095.12 above that line. The top of the range is $54,787.93 above it.^3,7 The budget line carries a different title, so the two figures are not a like-for-like match.⁷

The records we reviewed do not say whether current directors move into the new jobs or the city hires new people on top of them.¹ The chart still has a human resources director, a finance director, and other department heads below the new jobs.² The other two jobs have no posted pay.^4,5

Each job is full time and eligible for "all City Benefits."^3,4,5 The development services budget lists more than pay. It has lines for Social Security and Medicare, retirement, and health, dental and life insurance. A new job could therefore cost more than its pay.⁷

The charter lets the council move unspent money from one department to another, but only by passing an ordinance.³⁰ We found no ordinance that sets up the new departments or moves money for them.¹

What we could not find

• The total cost of the three jobs and the fund that pays for them.
• Pay ranges for the Administrative Services and Public & Municipal Services jobs.
• Whether current directors move into the new jobs or the city hires new people.
• Any ordinance that sets up the new departments, and any budget amendment.
• Minutes and a roll call for the council vote on the change.
• The name and cost of the November facilitator.
• The city's chart from before the change.

What you can do

• The city's records page says Texas law "gives you the right to access government records."³¹
• The city secretary's office oversees open records requests, and you can file them online through NextRequest.³¹
• State law makes each city employee's "salary, title, and dates of employment" public.³²
• Ask the city for the pay range and budgeted cost of each executive director job, the fund that pays, and any ordinance or budget amendment.
• If you have records on this, share them with us at /share-records.