The City Council voted 7-0 to terminate Jackson’s contract with cause, determined by the city council as a “substantiated city of Missouri City policy violation or conviction of a felony or crime of moral turpitude,” Jackson’s work contract reads. That means the city is only obligated to pay for all accrued leave and pay earned salary up to and including the date of termination, according to the contract.
The vote comes after Jackson was placed on administrative leave April 4 by Missouri City City Council, pending an investigation to last no more than 60 days conducted by law firm DeDe Church & Associates. An exact reason for the action was not given at the time, though Vashaundra Edwards, council member for At Large Position No. 1, motioned to outright terminate Jackson’s contract “based on evidence that he violated our city charter requirements, ethical tenants that were established by [the International City/County Management Association] and [the Texas City Management Association], and the hirings and firings and handlings of individuals in his office.”
Immediately following the vote to terminate Jackson’s contract, City Council voted 6-1 to make Sedrick Cole the interim city manager for up to 30 days with an increase to his salary of 20%. That 30-day 20% increase would equate to $2,500, the city confirmed with Community Impact Newspaper.
Cole, the city’s chief information officer when Jackson was placed on administrative leave, was designated as the city’s acting city manager during the duration of the investigation.
Immediately following the council’s May 3 vote to name Cole the temporary interim city manager, the council voted 6-1 to give Cole authorization to utilize an executive recruitment firm, GovHRUSA, to recruit an interim city manager to fill the gap once Cole’s 30 days as the interim city manager are complete.
In a separate 7-0 vote, the council then authorized Cole to utilize the recruitment firm to search for a permanent city manager.
"The City Council made its decision with Missouri City residents as their top priority," said Cole in a May 3 news release. "The Council and city staff are dedicated to making our city great, and we believe working together to serve our city is important—now more than ever."
Jackson’s termination comes after he was selected for the city manager position Nov. 30 after a six-month search to fill the role. The position was initially made available in April 2021, when Missouri City City Council terminated the employment contract of former City Manager Odis Jones without cause. In May 2021, Assistant City Manager Bill Atkinson was named interim city manager. City Council interviewed the top eight candidates for the position in November before selecting Jackson, according to city officials.
When Jackson’s contract of $210,000 per year was officially approved by the City Council on Dec. 6, he said in an interview with Community Impact Newspaper that he was looking to provide stability to the role, acknowledging recent turnover in the position.
“There's been some turmoil there and a couple of city managers that came and went fairly quickly,” Jackson said in the December interview. “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.”
