The Lufkin Daily News
By JESS HUFF/The Lufkin Daily News
January 12, 2023
The city of Diboll established a criteria for reviewing city managers moving forward, one of many steps city manager Jason Arnold said the city is taking to better formalize its processes.
“There was not a formal process that Diboll has used in the past to evaluate their city manager,” he said.
So the city took a template from the International City Managers Association and whittled it down and customized it for the city. The template they took had more than 100 questions and criteria for city managers to be judged by, which was a bit overkill, Arnold said. But the council chose pieces that meet Diboll’s priorities, he said.
The city manager needs to be knowledgeable about state and federal laws and requirements, especially those surrounding municipal government. The manager also must be able to create and present a balanced budget, he said.
“Then you’ll see things on this evaluation that looks at community involvement,” Arnold said.
Having a presence and being engaged in the community is an important part of being a city manager in Diboll, he said.
The council also wants someone who works well with the city council, who is willing to listen to everyone. And they’ll review how well the city manager interacts with staff: Is the city a pleasant place to work? Does it retain employees?
“It’s one thing to have a full roster in any given department, but are they happy?” Arnold asked. “Are they enjoying being there? Do they feel invested and engaged?”
Transparency also was key, especially being able to present information in a way that proves transparency.
Having an evaluation tool established like this helps the city manager, the city council and residents to ensure there are checks and balances in place to operate the city, Arnold said. The city manager knows what their job is, the council knows what their job is and so do residents.
“As a citizen, you know that the primary administrator, the city manager, is being held accountable and he’s being looked at, they’re being evaluated,” Arnold said.
Alongside the new criteria, which will first be put into practice at the next city manager evaluation in 2024, the council evaluated Arnold.
He was hired on a three-year contract with the city when he took the job in October 2021, which is the longest contract the city can extend and remain in compliance with state law, but the city extended the contract another year on top of what is left of his contract.