Helotes mayor’s nominee confirmed as Economic Development Corporation director; mayor authorized to finalize contract

The Helotes City Council on Jan. 23 approved the mayor’s nomination of Arnie Jacob as executive director of the city’s Economic Development Corporation and authorized the mayor and city attorney to negotiate and execute a contract under terms discussed in closed session.

Council said the candidate emerged from a multi-stage search and interview process involving council members, the city administrator and the EDC board, and that the group’s recommendation was unanimous. Council first voted to approve the nomination; members then voted to allow the mayor and city attorney to complete contract negotiations and sign the agreement.

Council members who spoke during the public portion said they were impressed by Jacob’s resume and interview performance. The mayor described the search as a “significant search” with “excellent candidates” and said the outcome reflected interviews by both council and the EDC board.

The votes were taken after a closed session held under the Texas Government Code sections listed in the meeting notice. The record shows the council approved the nomination by voice vote; the record does not list individual roll-call tallies in the transcript.

The council did not state the contract’s salary or other financial terms in open session; the mayor and city attorney were authorized to negotiate per the terms discussed in closed session.