Calcote nominated as new Killeen city secretary during council workshop

Expected to be confirmed on Nov. 8, Laura Calcote was introduced during a Killeen City Council workshop as the new city secretary Tuesday.

“Welcome to the city,” Councilman Jose Segarra said. “It’s a tough position. When we go through the hiring process … the city secretary, for a reason, is a very tough decision. I just wanted to say, ‘Thank you,’ for taking that position. I think you understand what you’re getting into.”

Calcote briefly joined the meeting via Zoom.

Mayor Debbie Nash-King asked Eva Bark, the city’s director of human resources, to explain the duties of a city secretary.

“She does all of the agendas for City Council,” Bark said. “She will handle elections when elections come. She handles … a whole bunch of stuff.”

City Manager Kent Cagle further described her responsibilities.

“The title is a misnomer,” he said. “The city secretary job is not just a clerical job. It’s an executive job. I think that’s what the mayor is referring to — official record-keeping. There’s a whole list of executive-style duties she’s in charge of. It’s more than just managing paperwork.”

According to a staff report, the city solicited 56 applications.

“Fifty-two candidates met or exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position. On (Oct. 3, 2022), Holli Clements, city attorney, extended a conditional job offer to (Calcote), one of the only candidates with current city secretary experience.”

Following Lucy Aldrich’s resignation on July 15, Calcote was interim city secretary for Killeen.

She “has served as a city secretary for Town of Argyle and the city of Wimberly, and city of Oak Ridge North. Prior to municipal government, Ms. Calcote worked for the Texas Historical Commission,” according to a staff report.

Calcote has more than 13 years of state and municipal government experience. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2015 with a master’s in public administration. In 2010, she graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor of arts in communication studies.

Judy Paradice became interim city secretary between the period Calcote was in that position and the naming of Hector Gomez as Aldrich’s replacement.

Gomez subsequently withdrew from consideration.

Aldrich had been with the city for 19 years, and her salary was $71,806.18.

If approved by the council, Calcote’s base salary in Killeen will be $105,000, according to a staff report.

“You helped us get through that transition,” Nash-King said. “So, thank you very much.”

Gonzalez also thanked Calcote for her work as interim city secretary.

“I just wanted to tell you again I’m glad to see your face,” she said. “I was watching you interact with a lot of people on top of the learning curve, and you did it with a lot of kindness.”

After Councilman Michael Boyd said that he looks “forward to having you here if that’s the council’s wish,” Calcote said that “I look forward to being part of Team Killeen.”

According to the Cross Timbers Gazette, Calcote resigned from the Town of Argyle in southern Denton County in June when then-Town Administrator Rich Olson’s contract was not renewed because, according to council members there, he was “trying to bring apartments to Arygle.”

Argyle, near Fort Worth, has a population of about 4,700.

In August, Gomez was picked from among 102 applicants, but he withdrew for “personal reasons.”

His confirmation had been scheduled for Aug. 23 during a City Council meeting. But during that meeting, Gomez was removed from the consent agenda and the issue was not discussed further.

His pay had been set for $86,000 annually in Killeen if council members had approved his nomination.

With seven years of experience in municipal government, Gomez was deputy city clerk in Carlsbad, California.