(Seguin) — Seguin City Manager Steve Parker received a huge vote of confidence from the Seguin City Council on Tuesday.
The council voted unanimously to provide Parker with a pay raise and offered him some additional benefits after conducting his annual evaluation in executive session.
Councilwoman Monica Carter explained the council’s wishes just prior to the formal vote on his performance.
“I would like to make the motion on behalf of the city council. We would like to make the following recommendation — a 2.5 percent merit increase totaling $298,080.51 which is an increase of $7,2070.26 to your current base pay. We’d also like to recommend a one time incentive payment of $10,000 and a much needed 20 additional hours of personal leave which will bring your total annual personal leave hours to 80 hours or two weeks,” said Carter.
The council gushed about Parker’s performance over the last year.
Councilman Jason Biesenbach expressed his gratitude to Parker, and said that he believed that he’s doing a great job.
“Steve I just think you’re doing a really good job. I really appreciate everything that you have been doing around town,” said Parker.
To say it was a love fest, may not be an overstatement. The council’s relationship with Parker has grown over his tenure. That’s been especially true after the unexpected death of his wife, Wendy in late 2023. Councilman Bill Keller says they believe in Parker’s ability to lead the day-to-day operations of the city, but he says he means much more than that to the city of Seguin.
“There’s much more than a professional relationship between the council and you. There’s a lot of love. It’s a two-way street. We know that you care for this community. You love this community and from everybody that I talk to, everybody loves you, the job you are doing and again, the word is possibly underutilized but I think I would represent everybody by saying we love you,” said Keller.
Councilwoman Carter says she hopes that Parker remains in Seguin for a very long time, because his leadership will be hard to replace.
“We just appreciate all you have done for this city. It does not go unnoticed. Anyone that would follow you and we are not talking about you needing to go anywhere where we have to discuss anyone following you but there’s huge shoes to fill with you and all that you do. So, just on behalf of the entire council, we thank you,” said Carter.
Mayor Donna Dodgen says she spoke to staff and several others before Parker’s evaluation. She says the consensus is clear, and people believe that he’s doing a great job as Seguin’s city manager.
“You represent our city with enthusiasm, dedication and commitment. You are really solution driven. You are not a no person. It is a how can we make it work? You solve problems through solutions. You love the one on one with people. You give out your cell phone number and your email to more people thank I think I can even know and for many many years, whether we want to say it or not, we have done things one way and we are not doing that anymore and that’s because of you and I appreciate that. You look for employees that are at the next level. You look to the future who give us a new view, future thoughts and experiences. You strengthen and allow directors to leave their employees autonomously but is available when they need direction or help. You are an integral part of development and recruitment efforts. You are always ‘reppin’ Seguin, Texas. I talked to some of the directors and they all talked about how easy and supportive you are. You are creative with your solutions and encourage them to think outside the box and to the future and you know I’ve talked to your peers because I’ve run into them lately and he’s admired, often sought out for advice and mentoring and they all spoke well of his integrity, energy, creativity and honesty. So, we love you Steve,” said Dodgen.
Parker was thankful after the council’s vote. He says last year was a challenging year, but the council and the community have just been extremely support every step of the way.
“I’m blessed with one of the most awesome organizations and all the directors, all the staff members go above and beyond a high level of customer service and this is a time when we are in a very fast growth mode so without leaders like ya’ll helping and championing and being able to explain the benefits of growing fast but how we are growing smart. I just can’t say enough about this community. How they stepped up for me when my wife passed away, how my team stepped up. This made me realize that as long as you will have me, this is my forever home. I love it here. I’m invested in this community and I will continue to go forward 100 percent. This is a great organization,” said Parker.
Parker has served as city manager since January of 2020. He tackled a number of projects and grown city staff during that time. All in an effort to meet the growing demands for services in what has now become a fast growing city.