SAN BENITO — After more than five years in office, City Manager Manuel De La Rosa is up for a new $5,000 raise after a split city commission gave him high marks on his job performance.
Earlier this week, commissioners met behind closed doors for more than an hour before City Attorney Mark Sossi announced they had given De La Rosa 4.22 points on his evaluation’s five-point scale, an “above-average” showing triggering a $5,000 pay increase, based on the terms of his contract.
The bonus will boost De La Rosa’s salary to $135,000.
“I am grateful and thankful to the city commission for providing an evaluation of my performance and for providing direction and setting new goals and objectives,” De La Rosa stated Wednesday. “I am humbled and proud to serve the citizens of San Benito and the city commission.”
Split commission
On the commission, De La Rosa’s main support came from Commissioners Rene Villafranco, Carol Lynn Sanchez and Rene Garcia.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Pete Galvan called for “some improvement” in De La Rosa’s job performance while Mayor Rick Guerra said he failed to submit his evaluation form.
“I did not turn mine in on time. I missed the deadline,” Guerra said Wednesday. “I’ve been too busy with other stuff I had. I failed the city on this. It was nobody else’s fault but mine. I’m turning mine in today just as reference. The people will see how I voted.”
Sanchez: De La Rosa handles challenges
On Wednesday, Sanchez said De La Rosa continues to effectively run the city’s daily operations while addressing related challenges.
Since he took office in January 2016, De La Rosa has worked to help the city comply with a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality order mandating completion of a multimillion-dollar sewer system overhaul by March 2023.
As part of a 2012 agreement, the city faces severe fines and corrective action if it fails to upgrade the system blamed for sewage spills more than 10 years ago.
So far, the project has led De La Rosa to push two bond issues totaling about $10 million to fund the upgrades.
Meanwhile, De La Rosa has worked to restore the city’s $17 million water plant after a previous administration shut it down in 2014 after the plant failed to properly operate.
As part of the project, he worked to upgrade the city’s 94-year-old water plant to serve as the city’s primary water source.
“I am content with the evaluation,” Sanchez stated Wednesday.
“In the time I have sat on the commission, I have seen him work hard to push the city forward, all while taking on the incredible task of fixing all the issues that were pending at his hiring,” she stated. “He has accomplished the goals he was given. He has shown me he cares about the community and has a great vision for San Benito and proven he also has the knowledge and background to follow it through.”
Garcia cites ‘leadership, fiscal management’
Garcia, who won election to the commission last November, praised De La Rosa’s “leadership” and “fiscal management.”
Last month, the city’s annual comprehensive financial report showed the city’s unassigned fund balance had climbed to $6.1 million, enough to run operations for 198 days, more than doubling the state’s recommended minimum of 90 days.
“He is above-average, in my opinion,” Garcia said. “I feel he does have the expertise. I feel he’s professional in what he does. I feel he’s doing an excellent job in his leadership role. He does good fiscal management of the city’s funds and assets and that’s one of the high points.”
Villafranco could not be reached for comment.
Galvan: ‘Some areas of improvement’
Despite the three commissioners’ strong support, De La Rosa’s management style became a campaign issue for some residents during recent elections.
Since winning a commissioner’s seat in May 2018, Guerra has criticized De La Rosa’s job performance, joining former Commissioner Tony Gonzales in a push to fire him later than year.
“He’s got some good points, good ideas and strong points and something he’s lacking — maybe certain skills,” Guerra said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Galvan, who first won election last November, pointed to “some areas of improvement” in De La Rosa’s job performance.
“During my tenure, I’ve seen some good aspects and some areas of improvement and my responsibility to the citizens is to evaluate the employee in the fairest way possible — and truthful,” Galvan said. “We discussed strengths and weaknesses and we discussed objectives and goals we’re going to set timelines.”
Among commissioners’ goals will be “a comprehensive street repair program, infrastructure improvements and economic development,” Garcia said.
Background
In December 2015, a previous commission hired De La Rosa at a salary of $95,000, giving him a three-year contract.
In 2019, De La Rosa signed a new three-year contract, beating his previous contract’s terms.
Under his latest contract, which runs through March 31, 2022, terms include a clause which automatically renews the agreement for one year barring six-months’ notice of its termination.
As part of the deal, De La Rosa would continue to receive six-months’ severance pay if he’s fired without cause.
The latest contract also boosts his severance benefits such as health insurance coverage from six months to nine months “or until the city manager obtains other full-time employment and coverage through a group health insurance plan from the city manager’s new employer, whichever occurs sooner.”
Meanwhile, the contract continues to include the clause under which “above-average” job evaluations automatically trigger annual $5,000 pay increases.
