Killeen Daily Herald
BY ERIC E. GARCIA | TELEGRAM CITY EDITOR
September 17, 2023

An official with a Central Texas government group is the new interim city manager of Morgan’s Point Resort.

Uryan Nelson was named to the interim position last week during a meeting of the Morgan’s Point Resort City Council, which approved an interlocal agreement with the Central Texas Council of Governments for the services.

Nelson, the planning and regional services director for Belton-based Council of Governments and director of the related Killeen-Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization, was designated as the primary individual responsible for delivering the interim city manager services.

Dalton Rice, the incoming city manager of Kerrville, resigned from his Morgan’s Point Resort leadership job on Aug. 25, citing City Council actions that led to “a hostile and toxic environment” for municipal employees.

In his resignation letter, Rice said he was increasingly micromanaged by an all-freshman City Council whose members refused to communicate with him and spread misinformation.

“The past 120 days, particularly the events of the last month, have left me profoundly disappointed,” Rice said in his letter addressed to council members and residents of the Lake Belton city. “Regrettably, the actions — or inaction — of the city council have directly impacted our community and organization, prompting me to resign well before an appropriate transition and my new position’s start date. The council’s micromanagement of the city manager role and refusal to communicate, coupled with their ongoing indecisiveness and the spread of misinformation, has created a hostile and toxic environment that no longer allows me to shield our team from the animosity and distrust aimed towards me.”

Esther Weaver, the city’s communications and marketing manager, said the Council has postponed “the determination of a hiring process for a new city manager to allow for further discussion and alignment of priorities.”

“Regardless of what the transition looks like, we are confident that we will be able to continue providing the high quality services that our residents have come to expect through at this transition,” Weaver told the Telegram.

As interim city manager, Nelson “will dedicate eight hours per week to in-office duties, remaining accessible via phone and email throughout the remainder of the week,” Weaver said.

Nelson has a bachelor’s degree in homeland security and emergency management from Ashford University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

“With a cumulative 28 years of experience in public safety, emergency management and government planning, Nelson is well-prepared to fulfill this role,” Weaver said.

If Nelson is unavailable, Jim Reed, the executive director of the Council of Governments, will serve as his replacement, according to the agreement signed Tuesday. Reed served as interim city manager of Morgan’s Point Resort in late 2020 and early 2021 prior to the hiring of Rice.

Reed told Council members he is committed to ensuring a seamless transition and continued city services.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Reed said, adding that officials would reach out to Assistant City Manager Cary Erskine to meet with department heads to begin the transition.