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Rowlett council votes 6–1 to terminate City Manager David Hall, names interim
Summary
After more than six hours that included extended public comment, the Rowlett City Council voted 6–1 on Feb. 27, 2026, to terminate City Manager David Hall's employment contract without cause and unanimously appointed an interim city manager effective immediately; the interim hire's name appears with inconsistent spellings in the transcript.
The Rowlett City Council voted 6–1 on Feb. 27 to terminate City Manager David Hall’s employment contract without cause, then unanimously appointed an interim city manager effective immediately.
Mayor Jeff Winget moved to terminate the employment contract and a second was recorded; the mayor announced, “It carries by a vote of 6 to 1 with Mr. Reeves voting in opposition.” The motion as read from the dais concerned the city manager’s employment contract and a vote in the open session followed council’s closed-door legal and personnel deliberations.
Council followed with a secondary motion to appoint an interim city manager to take effect immediately. The transcript records two inconsistent spellings for the interim hire: “Christophe Bauer” and later “Christoph Bowers.” The council voted unanimously to approve the appointment and directed staff to negotiate the interim contract terms, including discussion of a two‑year agreement to be negotiated in the future.
The votes came after nearly six hours of public comment in which dozens of current and former city employees, residents and others made competing claims about the city manager’s record. Supporters, including Police Chief Michael Denning and other department leaders, praised David Hall for improving interdepartmental coordination, staffing and emergency preparedness. Critics alleged high turnover, mishandled capital projects, potential legal issues tied to parkland conversion and failures in compliance and communications.
Mayor Winget closed the meeting by thanking Mr. Hall for his service, calling the decision difficult and promising further public engagement. He said the council intends to complete ongoing projects and work to rebuild public trust; he also indicated a town‑hall meeting will be scheduled to discuss next steps.
Next procedural steps identified on the dais included negotiating the interim manager’s contract and scheduling public outreach; no effective date beyond “immediate” was listed for the interim appointment in the open minutes shown on the transcript.
