The overview
At an Aug. 20 meeting, Fulshear City Council unanimously voted to appoint acting City Manager Zach Goodlander as the city’s new city manager. The city manager position has been vacant since Feb. 12 when former City Manager Jack Harper was fired.
“I am deeply humbled by this election,” Goodlander said. “[I hope] to keep the city moving forward, onward and upward along the way.”
In April, the city hired Baker Tilly US LLP to conduct a search for the position, who identified four final candidates for interviews at a July 30 special meeting.
Digging in
Goodlander joined the city of Fulshear in February 2019 as the city’s planning director, where he oversaw the communications, information technology, geographic information system, municipal court, police and finance departments. Most recently, he has served as the city’s assistant city manager since November 2022, according to the city’s website.
He has also held roles with the cities of Willis, Venus and as an intern in Huntsville.
Notable quote
“We’re thrilled to welcome such a smart and innovative leader, and we can’t wait to see the incredible impact he will have as he helps our city move forward into the future," Mayor Don McCoy said in an Aug. 20 news release.
What else?
City staff will host an introductory event to give residents the opportunity to meet and visit with Goodlander, although a date hasn’t been announced, according to the release.
Next steps
The city will now need to fill the assistant city manager role, which will most likely be filled by the end of this year, Goodlander said.
“We won’t wait long to fill the role of assistant city manager, but it also won’t be immediate,” Goodlander said in a statement. “I want to first assume the formal role of city manager and evaluate all areas of the organization to ensure we’re moving forward in the best manner possible.”
