Lamar City Council accepts letter of resignation from City Administrator Rob Evans

During a specially-scheduled City Council meeting, Council reluctantly voted to accept the resignation of City Administrator Rob Evans.  Mayor Kirk Crespin said that Evans’ letter of resignation was received the prior Monday but for transparency, he wanted to hold the special meeting so the public would be aware of what was happening. Before the issue was addressed, Council heard from local citizen Doug Harbour, who stated that he was a concerned citizen who has lived in Lamar for many years.  He commended Council for “what’s been happening the past few years”, mentioning the growth the city has seen and how well he felt that everyone had worked together and seemed to be ready to help and do what they can.  He said he had just read about the resignation the same day as this meeting and felt the need to speak up.  He then asked Evans to reconsider his resignation and asked if Council could table the issue and try to work things out.  He then thanked them for listening to him speak on the subject.

Before Council voted to accept the resignation, Crespin was asked when Evans’ last day would be and the mayor said it would be April 9, as it was a 30-day notice the city received.  Council member Brent Bates motioned for Council to accept it after saying “I hate to see you go. I agree with Doug (Harbour) – we’ve made a lot of great progress, especially this last year.  I want to wish you the best in all your future endeavors”.  Crespin then said “I agree. Rob has been very vital in getting things done over the last three years and has been very involved in the community.  We really appreciate that.  I think it’s always difficult to see change happen in the community, but as a council we’ve got to keep moving forward”.  Council then voted unanimously to accept the resignation.

The next matter addressed in the meeting was to formalize the direction for the recruitment and hiring of a new city administrator.  Per Crespin, Council had several different options.  The first would be to use a third party recruitment service such as SGR (Strategic Government Resources), which the city used to find Evans three years ago.  The company used for the recent Chief of Police search was another possibility.  Another option would be to try to do an in-house search.  It was quickly decided after discussion that an in-house search wasn’t feasible, as it would take much longer than using a professional company who specializes in this and has broader reach to find acceptable candidates.  Evans added that there are many other companies besides SGR and told Crespin he could get them some names of companies.  Councilman Bates asked if there would be time before next week’s regular meeting for the city to reach out to several companies and get quotes on what they would charge for the search.  Crespin said they would try to have several bids available by next Monday’s meeting for Council to consider.

Crespin then brought up the need to appoint an interim city administrator while a permanent replacement is being searched for.  Again, he told Council the options available which included appointing someone within the city staff on a voluntary basis or paying a third party to find an interim candidate.  He told Council that the last time they used such a third party, it was very expensive – around $69,000 – and that bringing in someone unfamiliar with the city proved to be difficult.  Councilman Joe Gonzales said he wanted to appoint Councilman Bates for the position, saying that he felt Bates was ambitious, thinks outside the box and has a lot of interaction with the public.  Bates thanked Gonzales but stated that he will be very busy in the near future with the many other boards and nonprofit groups he works with and didn’t feel he would have the time to do the job properly.  It was ultimately decided that Crespin and mayor pro tem Manuel Tamez would volunteer to serve in the capacity to save the city money.  Crespin said the city had very strong department heads which would help with oversight and could give reports to Council about their departments.

The third and final subject addressed was the mayor’s suggestion to form a project oversight committee for the new public safety building project.  Due to the large scope of the project, Crespin feels that it is important to get a handle on the development and the steps necessary to “go to the next step”.  He said due to the large number of moving parts, it is necessary to look at who will be working on which aspect to make the process run smoothly and in a timely manner.  He said it would be difficult enough to do even with a city administrator, but in the absence of one, will be even more difficult.  After much discussion, it was decided and voted on to assemble a committee of 7 persons with one alternate.  The committee will consist of Police Chief Al Fear, Fire Chief Jeremy Burkhart, Public Works Director Pat Mason, Mayor Crespin, Councilman Brent Bates, Building Inspector Stephanie Strube, and an as-yet undecided upon citizen from one of the city boards.  Council member Gerri Jenkins will serve as the alternate. City Treasurer Kristen Schwartz offered to help with any financial questions or issues.

Before adjourning the meeting, Crespin told Evans “I appreciate everything you’ve done for the community, Rob.  I know you need to do what’s right for your family and make the decision you need to make.  We do appreciate that and what you’ve given to the city” and all Council members nodded in agreement.  The next regular City Council meeting is Monday, March 24 at 7:00 pm.

By: Barbara Crimond