PORT ANGELES — City Manager Kent Myers has accepted a new job as city manager of Fredericksburg, Texas.
Myers, 59, a Texas native, said his last day in City Hall’s top administrative job — a position he has held for three years — will be May 2, and he expects to begin work in the town, 78 miles west of the capital of Austin and about 70 miles north of San Antonio, on May 9.
The Fredericksburg City Council offered him the job Monday night, Myers said Tuesday, and he accepted it.
The reason for the move is primarily for family reasons, Myers said.
“My dad is in San Antonio, and my brothers and sister are about an hour away from Fredericksburg,” he said, adding that his father is 85.
“We want to get closer to family.”
Myers was the city manager in Hot Springs, Ark., for 14 years before starting work in Port Angeles in January 2009.
Before Hot Springs, he previously served as city manager for Casa Grande, Ariz., and for Converse, Texas.
Looking to move nearer to relatives, he has been a finalist over the past year for city manager jobs in several other states.
His starting salary in Fredericksburg is more than $130,000, with an additional car allowance, said Myers, who added that he did not recall the exact amount.
He was making $157,000 annually in Port Angeles.
“The cost of living is so much cheaper there,” he said, “I’ll be coming out ahead.”
It’s also a smaller community: Fredericksburg has a population of 10,530, according to the 2010 Census, compared with Port Angeles’ 19,038.
Fredericksburg is known in Texas for its German-immigrant history and restaurants, and its colorful shops and wineries.
Mayor’s comments
Myers has “worked on so many positive projects for Port Angeles that we appreciate what he’s done,” said Port Angeles Mayor Cherie Kidd.
“Kent and Diane Myers have found a lovely little community to return to in Texas.
“It seems a happy move for their family.”
Myers will replace Gary Neffendorf, who retired after nearly four decades as Fredericksburg city manager, and was retained by the council to provide interim manager services until the job was filled permanently.
Myers said he thought it was a good time for a change.
“When I was hired by the City Council, we established different goals and projects that needed to be completed,” he said.
Since then, The Gateway transit center has been completed, the combined sewer overflow project has been laid out and waterfront upgrade plans are in place, Myers said.
“I think it’s good timing for me,” he said.
“It’s good timing for the city.”
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Publisher and Editor John Brewer, john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com, contributed to this report.
