CITY MANAGER CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, TEXAS

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1 CITY MANAGER CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, TEXAS

2 THE COMMUNITY Home to 14,787 residents, West University Place, Texas, is located in the fourth largest metropolitan area in the nation. Just minutes from downtown Houston, the Galleria and Texas Medical Center, the City s location makes it an ideal spot for living, working and raising a family. Its tree-lined streets, well-maintained homes and expansive park system are second to none. A dynamic, safe and family-friendly community, West University Place has managed to retain its smalltown feel while providing convenient access to an array of big city amenities in the surrounding areas. The idea for a community of country homes in the area that is now West University Place was conceived in 1910 by Ben W. Hooper, then Governor of Tennessee. That year, Governor Hooper bought a tract of land southwest of Houston out of an old Spanish land grant. The area's proximity to Rice University led to the name West University Place. In 1939, the City exhibited confidence in its own political maturity and the character of its citizens by refusing to consolidate with its larger, powerful neighbor, the City of Houston. The confidence was solidified by the adoption of the first City Charter in Over the years, the City has progressed steadily toward its present position as one of the area's most desirable neighborhoods. Civic-minded citizens and small-town government, combined with a proximity to major business, educational, cultural and scientific centers, have contributed to a steady increase in property values. With a philosophy that combines rich traditions and responsible innovation, West University Place has become a stable, yet progressive model city. The City has a median income of $202,132 and an average home value of $1.1 million. The area's strong educational background, its proximity to Rice University, and the fact that 85% of adults who live in West U have bachelor's degrees, are among the reasons West University Place has been recognized for a high quality of life. Over the years, West University Place has earned regional and national recognition for its livability. In 2007, Forbes named West University Place a Top Urban Enclave, stating that "the tree-filled, affluent bedroom community is one of the most prized addresses in the Houston area." In 2011, West University Place received multiple accolades from rating entities. CNNMoney named West University Place as the #12 Top Earning Town in America. The Houston Business Journal ranked West University Place #1 in a study of quality of life in the southern United States. The rankings encompass 1,146 cities, towns, villages, and other municipalities in 13 southern states. VISION The City of West University Place is committed to enhancing the quality of life in the community by a commitment to excellence in the delivery of public services.

3 As goodwill ambassadors for the City, employees consistently demonstrate the City s guiding values of: Superior Service Productivity Initiative Responsibility Innovation Teamwork GOVERNANCE & ORGANIZATION West University Place is a home-rule city operating under the council-manager form of government. The City Council consists of the Mayor and four Council members elected on a non-partisan basis. Elections are held the first Saturday in May of odd numbered years and members serve a term of two years. Members cannot serve for more than two successive terms in each office. A professional City Manager is hired to manage the day-to-day operations of the City. Direct reports to the City Manager include the Assistant City Manager, City Secretary, Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Directors of Communications, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works. The City has a 2018 calendar-year budget of $43.4 million, 126 full-time employees, and an ad valorem tax rate of $ per $100 of valuation. LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION The new City Manager will be expected to take a talented and well led workforce to the next performance level. The person selected should create a culture of excellence, employing best practices, promoting continuous improvement at every level of the organization and developing a sound succession plan to ensure a highly skilled and qualified leadership pipeline. Ensuring that the needs of residents will be met with the highest degree of professionalism and outstanding customer service will be an on-going priority. In order to better serve residents, the City will be fully developing and implementing a proactive City marketing/ communication and social media program to improve community engagement. This process will utilize neighborhood meetings and expand communication mechanisms. The City is also in the process of developing and implementing a formal, ongoing strategic planning process. The incoming City Manager must have the skills, ability and experience to successfully lead this effort.

4 Current projects: Buffalo Speedway Reconstruction & Drainage Improvements The City recently executed the design contract to begin the $30 million road replacement and drainage improvements for the main thoroughfare in the City. This project is partially funded through a federal grant for the road construction portion, but the City is actively seeking additional grant funding for the drainage portion. Design will continue through 2019 with construction expected to begin in Shared Drainage System Southside Place & West University Place This $3.1 million project will improve the drainage system for a portion of town that has had frequent issues with homes flooding, as well as improve drainage along Auden Street in the City of Southside Place. The City is actively pursuing grant funding to cover this project and has executed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Southside Place. Citywide Drainage Study The City recently completed a comprehensive drainage study that evaluated the entire drainage system of the City to determine which parts of the system met the City s design standard of a two-year rain event and which portions did not. Approximately 50% of the City s system meets this design standard. The study identifies over $100 million in drainage improvements to bring the City s entire system to a two-year event. Additional costs would be associated with obtaining detention mitigation for the improvements which could add an additional $50+ million to the overall cost of drainage improvements. Poor Farm Ditch Project: This project would repair and widen a section of the Poor Farm Ditch that runs through West University Place and serves as a major drainage trunk line for a portion of the City. The Ditch is owned and maintained by Harris County Flood Control (HCFCD), and they are requesting the Cities of West University Place and Southside Place contribute to this project. Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades & Flood Protection: The plant was built in 1982 and hasn t seen much change in the treatment process. The City will be undertaking an efficiency study in 2019 to identify efficiencies to the treatment process and energy usage. Additionally, Hurricane Harvey inundated the plant for the first time in its history which caused a two-day shut down and reduced operations for almost a week. The City is considering a variety of methods to prevent future service interruptions due to extreme weather events. Public Safety Initiative Virtual Gate This project has an estimated cost of $4,500,000 and will install security cameras at all West University Place entries and major intersections. The cameras will capture license plates/descriptions of vehicles and software will automatically check law enforcement data bases for criminal links. Parks Redevelopment The City is in the process of establishing a phased program to evaluate, design, and redevelop each West University Place park over the next 15 years, as recommended in the Parks and Open Space Master Plan.

5 IDEAL CANDIDATE The next West University Place City Manager will be an assertive, approachable, diplomatic, steadfastly strategic, visionary but grounded servant leader with excellent interpersonal skills and a participative management style who inspires and motivates others by example. Knowing when to exercise independent judgement and when to facilitate consensus, and having the ability to effectively do both will be important. The ideal candidate will be an honest, ethical, highly dedicated and hard-working city manager recognized for successfully guiding higher-end, highly educated and high-demand cities to the next performance level. The person selected will be committed to transparency, community engagement, responsiveness and providing cost-effective services and exceptional customer service. The successful candidate will be a solutions-oriented critical thinker and results-driven municipal manager who possesses highly developed coaching, team building, organizational development, mediation, project management, presentation and media skills. An ability to identify and implement best practices, embrace emerging technology, promote innovation, increase professionalism and inspire high-performing teams will be important. The ability to unite the organization with a shared sense of purpose, promote teamwork, fully articulate expectations, delegate responsibility with clarity and create a culture of accountability will be paramount. A consummate professional who goes all out without prodding and follows through without having to be reminded will be successful. The ideal candidate will be a subject matter expert in the home rule process and council-manager form of government. It is equally important that the selected candidate be a highly skilled governance coach who ensures both elected officials and appointed officials stay within the functional lanes assigned to them by the City Charter. The City Manager should be as supportive and responsive to the Mayor and individual Council Members as possible but never at the expense of the City Council as a body nor contrary to the spirit of the council-manager form of government. The incoming City Manager will be an exceptional listener and communicator with the ability to skillfully guide the City Council through the decision-making process. Gaining an understanding of the City Council s preferred method of receiving information and fully informing its members in the timeliest and most effective manner will be important. The person selected will be politically savvy without ever being political. The City Council seeks someone who will communicate with them directly and frankly but always positively and respectfully. Creating a close, positive, productive and lasting relationship with all members of the City Council must be of paramount importance to the incoming City Manager. The City Council seeks a fiscally responsible City Manager with a sound business acumen and lean orientation. The ideal candidate will possess advanced finance and budget skills and ensure that true cost-benefit analysis is always a component of the decision-making process and the annual budget is as much a policy and creative performance guide as it is a sound financial plan. The next City Manager must have the knowledge, skills and ability to expertly guide the City Council in cost management strategies, financial policy alternatives and creative public financing strategies. Although West University Place is an affluent city and has significant resources, the new City Manager will still be expected to aggressively pursue grants-in-aid, be they public or private in origin, and fully utilize multi-government cost sharing opportunities. The ideal candidate will be a highly effective negotiator and mediator who is able to build consensus and forge strategic partnerships within and beyond the community. It is important that the incoming City Manager quickly establish and sustain mutually beneficial relationships with a multitude of governmental agencies and entities. While there is neither a residency requirement nor expectation of residency for the next West University Place City Manager, the person selected will be expected to be highly visible and active in the community. An outgoing people person who embraces the City s culture, traditions and residents will be rewarded with enthusiastic support.

6 EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE A bachelor s degree in public administration, business administration, or a related field from an accredited college or university is required. A master s degree is preferred. At least 10 years of progressively responsible municipal government experience, including five or more years of experience as a City Manager in a similarly sized city or Assistant City Manager in a larger city, is required. Experience in progressive metro area communities with similar service menus and comparable customer service demands is preferred. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS The starting salary range for this position is $175,000 to $200,000 depending on qualifications and experience. The City provides a generous benefits package that includes a car allowance, phone/data allowance, paid professional dues/ development expenses, comprehensive medical coverage, life insurance, retirement (TMRS at 7%:2 to 1), paid vacation, paid sick leave and holidays. APPLICATION PROCESS Please apply online at: For more information on this position contact: Mike Tanner, Senior Vice President Strategic Government Resources MikeTanner@GovernmentResource.com This position is open until filled. To view the status of this position, please visit: The City of West University Place is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its workforce. Applicants selected as finalists for this position will be subject to a comprehensive background check. RESOURCES West University Place westutx.gov Harris County harriscountytx.gov