After an eight-month search to replace the city manager vacancy left by Ed Broussard, the city of Missouri City appointed Anthony Snipes to become the seventh city manager to serve the city in the past 40 years.

Missouri City City Council unanimously voted to appoint Snipes at its Nov. 16 regular meeting. Snipes will officially begin his new role Dec. 1 and will earn a salary of $185,000 per year, city officials said. Bill Atkinson, who had been serving as the city’s interim city manager, will resume his role as assistant city manager—a position he has held since 2007.

“Anthony is a great choice for the position, and City Council is excited he accepted the invitation to continue our strong legacy of leadership,” Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen said. “We look forward to him working with our great team of managers and employees to continue making Missouri City one of the top 50 places to live in the country. The community and the organization will benefit from his broad professional background, leadership and experience.”

Before joining Missouri City, Snipes worked as a fund development and government relations consultant in Austin. His previous experience includes working as an administrator in various capacities for Dayton, Ohio; Fort Worth; and Austin. His career also includes service with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council Inc., Florida State Legislature, Florida State University and the city of Tallahassee.

Snipes earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from Mercer University and a master’s degree in public administration from Florida State University.

While serving as assistant city manager in Austin, Snipes faced public criticism regarding a training session he organized where a consultant made inappropriate comments. Snipes resigned his role as assistant city manager in May in the wake of the event.

According to a city news release, during the interview process Missouri City City Council members discussed the issue at length with Snipes. After evaluating his responses to their inquiries, all seven council members determined that he was highly qualified and capable of leading the city, according to the release.

As city manager for Missouri City, Snipes will oversee 338 employees and a combined annual budget of more than $105 million. Snipes said he is impressed with the city’s proactive policies, safe streets, fiscal fitness, first-class amenities, diverse community and exemplary employees.

“[I am] looking forward to working with the city’s exceptionally talented team of professionals and partnering with them to achieve the city’s strategic goals,” Snipes said. “Missouri City is one of the nation’s most progressive and most diverse communities, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the citizens here.”

The search for the city’s next city manager began in March after Broussard left to be the city manager of Tyler. Strategic Government Resources, which is a recruiting organization for local governments, conducted the city manager search. The city launched a new nationwide search for city manager applicants in August after the council decided not to hire from its original group of three finalists.