Alpine council accepts city manager resignation, names interim city manager

The Alpine City Council voted unanimously to accept the resignation of the city manager effective June 13, 2025, to authorize payment of accrued vacation time and to appoint an interim city manager after returning from executive session.

The decision followed public comment urging the council not to rush the hire. Cynthia Salas (Ward 2) urged councilors to “not get in a hurry to fill the position” and suggested the city secretary could serve as interim while the council reviews resumes. Oscar Cobos (Ward 5) told the council to “remain optimistic” and stressed that the council has “sole discretion” over the interim appointment and the permanent hire.

Mayor told the public the council had followed legal procedures during recent meetings and clarified that last week’s session was preparation to develop evaluation materials, not a performance evaluation. The mayor cited contract provisions saying the council must review the manager’s job performance at least annually and that evaluations are to be completed no later than Sept. 30 each year.

After a closed session pursuant to Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code to discuss personnel and consult the city attorney, the council returned to open session and accepted the resignation and the payout of accrued vacation time. The council then moved to appoint the interim city manager; the motion passed with council members Burtillo, Martinez, Rucas and Escobedo voting in favor and Council Member Stevens voting no. The stipend for the interim appointment was not resolved and was deferred to the next council meeting scheduled for June 17.

Council also asked department directors to remain available during the transition and directed the interim manager to coordinate training with the mayor. The council’s city attorney advised that directors may attend the executive session and reiterated that the charter limits council members from issuing work orders directly to city staff; council may inquire about work conditions and job descriptions but not give direct work instructions.

Public commenters and council members raised concerns about process and timing, and the council recorded explicit procedural clarifications about the annual evaluation timeline, summative rating defaults in the manager contract, and the appropriate channels for council-staff communication. No action on a permanent replacement was taken at the meeting; the council left further selection steps and stipend details for follow-up meetings.