HARLINGEN — City Hall is launching its search to fill two of the city’s top positions after the City Commission’s new majority fired City Manager Dan Serna and City Attorney Ricardo Navarro.
About three weeks ago, officials began advertising to fill the city attorney’s job, for which they’ve received some inquires, Efrain Fernandez, the human resources director, said Thursday.
But so far commissioners haven’t requested he begin advertising for the city manager’s job, he said.
Fernandez said commissioners haven’t set the qualifications for the job.
“It’s all set by the City Commission,” he said, referring to qualifications. “As soon as we’re given direction, we will advertise.”
On Thursday, Mayor Chris Boswell said he expected commissioners will discuss the job’s search and qualifications during an upcoming meeting.
“There’s been no opportunity to discuss it or the process for filling the position,” he said.
City attorney search
Meanwhile, the city is advertising on its website along with the Texas Municipal League and Indeed for an “in-house” city attorney with at least three years’ of experience.
The job’s qualifications include serving as legal counsel on Civil Service and collective bargaining matters as well as prosecuting Municipal Court cases.
The job listing doesn’t include the position’s salary, Fernandez said.
“It’s a negotiated salary,” he said. “That’s why we leave it open. It depends on qualifications.”
Meanwhile, Fernandez isn’t setting application deadlines.
“It’s open until closed,” he said. “With high-level positions, we always leave them open, even if we’re doing interviews. Usually we don’t close it until a selection has been made.”
Past salaries, rates
Despite lacking a college degree, Serna was hired at a salary of $180,000 in late 2015 after serving as an assistant city manager following his work as a supervisor in some of the city’s top departments during a 30-year career.
In 2018, the past city commission stunned many residents when commissioners gave him a $45,000 raise during his job evaluation.
Last month, Boswell told commissioners the past commission gave Serna the pay increase to keep him as city manager after he was presented with another job offer.
In late 2016, Navarro, with the law firm Denton, Navarro, Rocha, Bernal & Zech, was hired at a rate of $195 an hour.
This year, officials budgeted $513,531 for legal expenses.
During the last two years, legal expenses climbed because the Texas Municipal League didn’t cover the costs of a few lawsuits filed against the city, Navarro told commissioners last month.
Navarro had replaced Rick Bilbie, an in-house city attorney who was drawing an annual salary of $130,687.
Background
On Sept. 28, commissioners voted 4-1 to fire Serna after Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Uribe accused him of failing to act on a list of commissioners’ concerns, which Serna said he had addressed.
In accordance with Serna’s contract, the city is paying him a year’s worth of severance pay based on his annual salary of $260,000, Irma Garza, the city’s spokeswoman, said.
Earlier last month, the commission’s majority fired Navarro after Commissioner Rene Perez said he believed some of the legal advice wasn’t made in the city’s best interest.
During a name-clearing hearing, Navarro vehemently denied the accusation, arguing all his advice was made in the city’s best interest while claiming commissioners fired him because they didn’t “like” a legal recommendation.
Now, Assistant City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez is serving as interim city manager.
Meanwhile, commissioners hired John Sossi, who’s serving as city attorney for the cities of San Benito and Mercedes after a 15-year stint as Brownsville’s legal counsel, at a rate of $200 an hour.
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