Council retains Haverlah as interim city manager

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

For now, Ryan Haverlah, the city’s budget director/deputy city manager, will be at the helm of the city’s operations effective tomorrow, February 17.

The Copperas Cove city council held a special meeting on Monday, with an executive session that lasted nearly an hour, in which it discussed the position of interim city manager.

They emerged from that meeting, with Mayor Frank Seffrood, stating there would be no action taken as a result of the executive session.

Haverlah will remain in that position until the council selects another city manager. He was voted to be interim unanimously by the council on January 30.

At Monday’s meeting, the council had the names and information of five potential interim city managers presented to them by the city’s human resources department but according to place 2 councilman James Pierce Jr., the only individual discussed was Haverlah.

“We need to find a well-qualified person that will continue to build on the success that we have already had in the city. We still have work that needs to be done. We need some industry in the city,” said Pierce. “We were given five so-called resumes to look at. Before we started, I made the statement that instead of looking at these we have Ryan already filling the role. He already understands what is going on and has the continuity. Why would we want to bring someone new into the city who would need to learn our processes and no guarantee how long they would stay?”

Place 7 councilman Charlie Youngs said two of the options the council has would be receiving resumes via the Texas Municipal League, or it could hire a professional headhunter to do a search on their behalf.

“Would it be better for the city to just go with TML resumes, or would it be better to hire a professional headhunter. That would cost money, but we have the funds leftover from Ms. Gardner’s salary. But, that’s up to the council,” Youngs said. “The thing is, if you go with TML, you’re probably going to get a slew. Now, how good those folks are is going to take time, to finally get one that everyone likes and is proficient.”

Youngs said he’s been involved in the city manager selection process before back in the 1990s. How that process unfolds, he added, is again left up to the entire council. There is no timeframe set for finding another city manager.

Haverlah was also appointed by the council on January 30 to be the new administrator of the city’s bank accounts after Gardner’s official last day on the job, which is today, February 16.

In addition to being posted on the city’s website, the vacancy for city manager has been posted on the Texas Municipal League’s website, where vacancies for administrative and managerial positions for cities nationwide are posted.