Listen to this article 6 min
Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced on his first day on the job that police leadership and police job stability are at the top of his priorities as he takes over the city's top non-elected post.
Broadnax issued an announcement May 6 that stated other key priorities include emergency preparedness, affordable housing and addressing homelessness.
The announcement said Broadnax will focus first on hiring a permanent police chief and will start immediately "working to ensure the finalization of a new contract agreement between the Austin Police Association and the City of Austin."
That would be welcome news to many Austin business leaders, who have complained about a lack of police and response times that are so inadequate that many retailers don't bother calling the cops on thieves.
Broadnax arrives in Austin following a seven-year tenure as the city manager in Dallas — the second-largest city run by a council-manager system in the United States, behind Phoenix.
Former Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk was terminated from the role in February 2023 following a botched response to prolonged power outages during a winter storm and after pushing forward a new four-year contract with the Austin Police Association while Council planned on approving only a year-long extension to an existing contract.
Broadnax will make a base salary of $470,017, according to city documents. He will also be given a cell phone allowance, executive allowance and a housing allowance of $5,000 per month for six months “to offset costs of a temporary residence,” documents said. That shakes out to $30,000 for housing.
