City managers balance needs of city council and developers

City managers balance needs of city council and developers

Written by Kathy Lesko Thursday, 07 September 2006

Brenda Eivens, City Manager, City of Cedar Park

When Brenda Eivens was appointed Cedar Park’s first human resource officer in 1996, she had no idea that a decade later she would be serving as City Manager, and part of a team responsible for making an impact on the daily lives of Cedar Park residents.

“You see the amazing impact local government has much quicker at this level,” Eivens says. “When you are able to see a completed project in use, like a town park or pool, it’s an amazing feeling to know that you have had an effect on people’s lives.” Eivens says she has a new appreciation of the role of local government and hopes to continue making contributions to Cedar Park.

Q. What is your role as city manager?

A. I consider my position a work in progress. When you look at a city like Cedar Park and its dynamics, there are some days I wear the “operations hat,” some days I wear the “leadership hat” and on others, I wear the “supporter’s hat.” The city manager isn’t always in the lead position; it’s just as important for me at times to be part of a larger team. I think the art of my job is just knowing what hat to wear on what days!

Q. When did you become city manager?

A. A majority of my professional career has been with the city of Cedar Park. I was the city’s first human resource officer when we had only 120 employees. Since then, that number has tripled! I was appointed Assistant City Manager in 2002 and kept my HR responsibilities. Then I served as interim City Manager from August 2005 until I was officially appointed City Manager in January of this year.

Q. How do you meet the needs/wants of the citizens, developers and City Council?

A. There is a delicate equation that involves balancing and prioritizing. I am constantly finding ways to balance the resources available to me, whether it is time, money, people or equipment with determining what projects the city should or is able to do based on budget. I try to pull it all together by maintaining an open line of communication with the people I work with as well as the residents of Cedar Park.

Q. Why should someone be excited to live in Cedar Park?

A. I bought my first house in Cedar Park 10 years ago, at a time the city thought it was well into a huge residential boom. We thought we saw that peak a few years ago, but this year we expect to add 1,300 homes to communities in the city! Add to that a growing commercial sector with projects like the new hospital and shopping venues and you have a high-energy level of activity. It’s a great time to be a part of Cedar Park, and there is still a lot of opportunity for the city.

Q. What is your greatest accomplishment?

A. My family and friends. I grew up in this region and have maintained many long-standing, strong relationships with people I grew up with.

• Education: Master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University
• Family: Husband Scott, son Ty, age 5 and daughter Quinn, age 3
• Contact information: 401-5010, eivens@ci.cedar-park.tx.us

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Anthony (Biff) Johnson, City Manager, City of Leander

Biff Johnson spent his entire professional career working for high-growth cities. As an 18-year-old in Richardson, Texas, he joined the Water Department as a maintenance man.

Sixteen years later he joined the City of Lancaster as its director of Public Works. During the next five years, he was appointed Assistant and then City Manager. Johnson was then recruited to Wylie as its City Manager and lived there for 19 years.

He joined Leander as its City Manager two-and-a-half years ago. “The complexity of this city is great,” he says. “The next few years are going to hold a lot of changes, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Q. What is your role as city manager?

A. I help steer the Council’s boat, in respect to implementing policies and giving advice and guidance on creating policies, etc. I think my role is to give the best leadership I can during a process of explosive growth. I also have to make sure our citizens are receiving the highest quality services from the best City staff available.

Q. When did you become city manager?

A. When I came to Leander two-and-a-half years ago, I was taking on a rather challenging role. There had been about 10 city managers in a 13-year time frame. I saw the potential in what Leander could become, and knew that there were a lot of great opportunities available for the City. The Mayor has managed to assemble a really great team to work with, and together I think we can achieve great things for the residents of Leander.

Q. How do you meet the needs/wants of the citizens, developers and City Council?

A. Because Leander is the size it is, the number of employees available to work on various projects is always less than we’d like. We have to create efficient ways to deal with processes and continue our customer-oriented focus on the services we provide, like paying bills by credit card and offering a drive-up window to pay bills. Every week our development team is available to meet with residents to help them understand the permit process and building regulations.

Q. Why should someone be excited to live in Leander?

A. Leander is a very dynamic city. Quality of life issues are coming to the forefront, and we have a school system that serves as one of the major draws for new residents to the area.

Q. What is your greatest accomplishment?

A. By far, my son Drew., who happens to know his way around a baseball diamond. He has been drafted by both the Mets and Red Sox. Drew is currently in rehab due to an injury sustained prior to reporting to Red Sox training camp.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Texas
• Family: Son, Drew
• Contact information: 528-2712, biff@ci.leander.tx.us