With a unanimous vote during a Dec. 6 meeting, Missouri City officials approved the employment contract for Charles “Tink” Jackson, set to begin Dec. 13.
The approval of his contract comes almost a week after Jackson was selected unanimously by the City Council to take on the role.
“I'm very honored and humbled to be selected as a finalist and just feel absolutely blessed to have been selected as the person to be the next city manager,” Jackson said in an interview with Community Impact Newspaper. “I'm extremely excited to get started moving Missouri City forward quickly and productively."
The new city manager was selected among a pool of eight top candidates, and was found with the assistance of GovHR USA, the consulting firm City Council unanimously voted to approve in June. Jackson comes in to fill the role following City Council’s decision to terminate the employment contract of former City Manager Odis Jones without cause in April. Meanwhile, Assistant City Manager Bill Atkinson, in May, was named interim city manager.
With his new role now confirmed, Jackson re-emphasized that he will look to bring stability to Missouri City City Hall.
“There's been some turmoil there and a couple of city managers that came and went fairly quickly,” Jackson said. “So the citizens and the City Council want to see stability back in that building. That's important for the staff, it’s important for the citizens, and it’s important for anybody who wants to do business with Missouri City to see.”
Bringing that stability starts by working with the city’s departmental directors to establish parameters for how the city is going to operate, Jackson said. Doing so would get the city staff on the same page and make sure everyone is focused on the goals council has established, he said. In addition, Jackson would look to ensure each employee feels important and appreciated.
Jackson will come into the role with a starting base salary of $210,000 a year, with the potential for increases should City Council determine an increase is warranted either through annual salary reviews as part of the annual performance evaluation process, or at any other time the council deems appropriate, according to the approved employment agreement. The agreement also stipulates that, should it choose, council could terminate the city manager with or without cause at any time.
Another big priority for Jackson will be economic development, especially in the Texas Parkway/Cartwright area, in addition to other priorities including updated facilities, he said.
As Jackson settles into his role, he will also look to engage with the community and address any concerns.
“I’ll probably do a town hall with the citizens so we can hear what the citizens are thinking, what they’re worried about, and what they want to see for the future,” Jackson said.
