Angleton council appoints police chief as acting manager, removes staff ban on contacting council

The Angleton City Council appointed Police Chief Valdez as acting city manager and moved to remove a provision in the city employee manual that barred staff from communicating directly with council, saying the manual language conflicted with the City Charter and made oversight harder. The council also directed staff to revise the manual and to change how complaints about the city manager are routed.

Council members said the changes were meant to restore clarity about lines of authority while preserving the council’s ability to seek information. Mayor John Wright presided; Mayor Pro Tem Benjamin Townsend led much of the motions and Councilwoman Daniels and Councilman Sarton seconded or supported the actions.

The council first pulled item 25 from the consent agenda for discussion and voted to appoint Police Chief Valdez as acting city manager. At the podium, a staff member identified as Colleen explained the difference between interim and acting: “an acting is a person who is taking the place of the person who is absent. Whereas an interim is more in the place of while you are searching for a new person to replace that position.” The council then approved the acting appointment by voice vote.

Later in the meeting council debated a provision in the Employee Policy Manual, Section 6.01(c), which then read that employees “shall not…communicate directly with city council regarding matters that involve city policy, operations, or organization.” City legal counsel (identified in the meeting as Grady) and several council members told the body that the City Charter requires that the council’s official interactions go through the city manager but does allow council inquiry, and that the manual language had created confusion. Grady advised that the charter remains controlling and that the manual should be brought into alignment.

The council voted to remove the offending sentence from Section 6.01(c) of the employee manual and asked staff to return with replacement language consistent with the charter. Mayor Pro Tem Benjamin Townsend made the motion to remove the subsection; Councilman Sarton seconded. The motion passed by voice vote. Council members also asked that future manual changes be presented to the council for approval and requested an annual review of the manual.

On complaints regarding the city manager, the council amended the manual’s routing: instead of routing complaints only to the mayor, they instructed staff to send complaints about the city manager to all council members and to the city attorney. Councilman Townsend moved the change; Councilwoman Daniels seconded and the motion passed by voice vote. Council members discussed that because the HR director is hired by the city manager, an independent investigator or the city attorney should handle investigations when appropriate.

Council also addressed actions taken earlier this year that had changed department head assignments without a council vote. After debate, the council recorded a motion that they “have not approved any departmental head changes in 2025,” effectively stating the council did not ratify those changes and directing that any such organizational changes require council action going forward.

Council members said the package of actions was intended to preserve the charter’s chain-of-command while ensuring council can receive information needed to oversee municipal operations and to conduct manager performance reviews. The council directed staff to prepare revised manual language consistent with the charter and to bring it back to council for formal approval.