Cagle scores ‘above average’ on job performance in 2021

Killeen Daily Herald
By Paul Bryant | Herald Staff Writer
December 13, 2022

In his last performance evaluation, Killeen City Manager Kent Cagle scored an “excellent” rating on half of the 10 criteria council members used in their review.

“Mr. Cagle has done a lot of great things for our city but one of the biggest was within his first year by saving the city millions of dollars over the long term by implementing changes to securely fund and maintain TMRS (Texas Municipal Retirement System) and the Firefighters Pension Plan,” Councilman Jose Segarra said. “We have also seen tax rates of our citizens reduced over the last few years while seeing increases in the revenue to the city budget.”

Neither Mayor Debbie Nash-King nor the other council members responded to questions from the Herald seeking comment about Cagle’s accomplishments.

“Mr. Cagle has also been focused on improving our north side of Killeen by improving our downtown area and searching for new opportunities there,” Segarra said.

Cagle, the city’s top employee who controls the day-to-day operations of the municipal government, was hired on Nov. 19, 2019, in a 6-0 vote when Segarra was mayor.

“Council, at that time, decided to do one-year terms, with yearly reviews, when we hired our previous city manager, Ron Olson,” Segarra said in November. “This process carried over to Mr. Cagle’s contract, which both ... agreed to prior to being hired.”

‘Above average’

Through a Texas Public Information Act request, the Herald obtained Cagle’s last annual performance evaluation dated Dec. 14, 2021.

“Mr. Kent Cagle, the Killeen city manager, received his annual work performance review on this day by the Killeen City Council and was given an above average annual review,” a memo from Segarra said following the evaluation. “The council has recommended a 3.5% (cost of living) pay increase from his current pay.”

Olson retired on Oct. 1, 2019, after more than 40 years in public administration, including in Killeen. With 35 years of experience in government, Cagle has spent 21 of them in municipal management, including most recently in Leander.

Olson’s yearly pay was $225,000. Cagle was hired at an annual salary of $210,000 and received a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment in 2020-21 and a 3% COLA in 2019-20. That brings his current salary to $223,650.

The City Council is expected to evaluate Cagle’s 2022 job performance in closed session during the council meeting on Tuesday.

The ratings

Cagle’s 2021 performance was reviewed using “excellent,” “average” and “poor” ratings. He was rated “excellent” on individual characteristics; professional skills and status; citizen relations; staffing; and fiscal management.

Cagle was rated “average” on relations with elected members of the governing body; policy execution; reporting; supervision; and community.

He did not receive any “poor” ratings on last year’s evaluation.

Boyd and Cagle

Over the last year, his relationships with current and former council members have been strained on some occasions. As recently as September, he requested a meeting with District 4 Councilman Michael Boyd after Boyd unilaterally made a presentation to Central Texas College trustees about a proposed shared-use agreement for park land.

“With all due respect, Mr. Weaver is not responsible for the operations of the City of Killeen,” Cagle said to Boyd in an email two days after the CTC board meeting. “I would like to meet with you and discuss this further as well as other interactions with city employees.”

Rex Weaver is chairman of the board at CTC.

Cagle was responding to an email from Boyd that described the council member’s conversations with Weaver and CTC Deputy Chancellor Michelle Carter.

“I am currently not clear on what ‘necessitates’ the meeting (you’re) proposing,” Boyd told Cagle after he asked to meet with him. “Furthermore, who is planned to participate in this meeting? If you can provide sufficient justification to warrant my participation, I’ll make myself available to meet next Tuesday at 4pm.”

As city manager, Cagle is Killeen’s CEO, charged with managing the budget, hiring and firing department heads, implementing policy set by the City Council and overseeing all administration duties of the municipality. Under state law, those responsibilities do not fall to council members.

About two and a half months earlier, Cagle took exception to Boyd’s implication that council members had not been properly involved in the budget preparation process.

“I am not pleased with this budget process at all,” Boyd said at the time. “The strategic planning session was not a budget workshop for the council. We have priorities for our constituents. We have priorities for the city as a whole. And now, once again, I’m having to choose packages that will come down the line based on what options are available. I don’t think that’s fair.”

That strategic planning session, Boyd said, was in March.

“We did not have an opportunity to (revise) this budget. We have to hope ... we can stick things in there. It’s unfortunate. Again, we are having to pick and choose on what options are available to us.”

But Cagle said that neither Boyd nor other council members “have to choose” anything.

“All I’ve got to say is that was not clear at all,” Cagle said. “We had a strategic planning session, and I guess there’s a terminology difference. To say the council had no input on the budget is simply false.”

Boyd continued his argument.

“The strategic session that we planned, that we asked for ... had discussions outside the budget,” he said. “It was not a focused conversation on the budget. We were told we’d have another meeting ­— a subsequent meeting at some point to give input on the budget. Now, we’re looking at a preliminary budget. I’m uncomfortable with it. It doesn’t make me happy.”

Brown and Cagle

And in February, Cagle and then-at-large Councilwoman Mellisa Brown exchanged words during a discussion about allegations of senior abuse by the chairwoman of the Killeen Senior Advisory Board at the time, Patsy Bracey.

“Mr. Mayor, council members (Nina) Cobb and (Jessica) Gonzalez are still investigating the matter and should be given more time,” Nash-King said to Segarra during the council meeting at the time.

Segarra told Brown that she should have spoken to Cagle directly before asking the council to address the issue, including in a phone call.

“I did call him and didn’t receive a response,” she said.

Cagle interjected.

“Well, did you leave me a voicemail?” he said.

Brown said she never left Cagle voicemails because he usually answered or returned her calls.

‘Unlawful retaliation’

In August 2019, Community Impact Newspaper of Cedar Park-Leander reported that Cagle filed a lawsuit against Leander seeking $1 million after he was terminated, alleging that his contract had been breached and that the city “participated in unlawful retaliation.”

According to several published reports, Leander settled with Cagle for $349,000. According to an Austin American-Statesman story published on May 23, 2019, Cagle was fired “with cause,” with Leander City Council members attributing his dismissal to “lack of economic development.”

In Killeen, Cagle oversees about 1,300 employees and a $265 million budget. His contract allows he and the city to terminate the agreement mutually and in writing and for the city to unilaterally end his employment “with or without good cause.”

In that instance, an employment separation requested by the city must be done with a 30-day written notice, according to the contract, and entitles Cagle to a severance agreement that includes payment equal to his annual salary and accrued but unused vacation and sick and personal leave days.

The council meeting on Tuesday is scheduled for 5 p.m. Cagle’s evaluation is likely to be done in executive session.

Other items at Tuesday’s meeting include:

Consent

Resolution authorizing the conveyance of property at 507 N. Gray St. to Bell County.

Resolution to approve eligible applicants and allocate funding for the American Rescue Plan Act Small Business Relief Grant.

Resolution declaring vacancies on boards and commissions and appointing members to fill unexpired terms.

Resolution to create a downtown advisory committee.

Resolution declaring the public purpose and approve grant funding allocations for 10 nonprofit organizations through the American Rescue Plan Act and Public Facility Corporation.

Consider an ordinance changing the speed limit on Rosewood Drive.

Public hearings

Consider an ordinance for a city-initiated request to rezone 2607 and 2703 Atkinson Avenue from single-family residential to multifamily apartment residential district.

Consider an ordinance to rezone 601 Stefek Drive from business district to general business and alcohol sales district.

Consider an ordinance to rezone 1701 Fairview Drive from two-family residential district to two-family residential district with a conditional-use permit for an above-ground pipeline station.

Consider an ordinance amending garage standards as provided in Chapter 31, Section 31-903.

Consider an ordinance amending the fiscal year 2023 annual budget to adjust revenue and expenditure accounts in multiple funds.

Consider amendments to Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2 ordinance.

Resolutions

Authorize a professional services agreement for the schematic design of the Rancier Avenue replacement and streetscaping improvements project with BGE Inc. for &813,453.73.

And the last agenda item calls for discussing procedures for opening warming centers.

Killeen City Hall is at 101 N. College St.