Austin City Council appoints new city clerk

Jannette Goodall was appointed Dec. 6 as the next city clerk by Austin City Council.

Goodall was the city's records manager and said the move to city clerk was a natural progression for her.

"I've enjoyed working with Shirley, and I enjoy the mission of the city clerk's office, which is to provide information to citizens in order to hopefully make things a little more transparent," Goodall said.

Goodall, who is originally from Illinois and moved to Austin in 2000, is to replace Shirley Gentry, who is retiring. Gentry has been city clerk since 1999 and announced her retirement in June. She said one of her favorite parts of her job as city clerk was watching her staff develop over the years.

"I don't really do very much except hire good people and then get the heck out of their way so they can do their job," she said. "Many of them have been with me for more than 10 years, and just watching them grow and come into their own is just very rewarding to me."

According to the resolution, Goodall will officially take the clerk position Jan. 7. Her annual salary is $113,448 with 23 days of paid vacation per year and participation in group benefit plans.

Gentry's salary, approved Aug. 25, 2011, was $126,525.46 annually.

Gentry said her plans for the future are open, but she is looking forward to having a more flexible schedule and spending more time with family.