Item 4GCity of Southlake, Texas
M E M O R A N D U M
May 30, 2007
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Shana K. Yelverton, City Manager (ext. 8001)
Approve the appointment of Jim C. Blagg as Assistant City Manager/Director of
SUBJECT:
Public Safety for the City of Southlake
_________________________________________________________________________________
Action Requested:
City Council approval of the appointment of Jim Blagg as the Assistant City
Manager/Director of Public Safety for the City of Southlake.
Background
Information:
The Southlake Charter requires that “The head of each department shall be a
chief, director or superintendent who shall be appointed by the City Manager
subject to the approval of the Council and such chief, director or
superintendent shall have supervision and control over his department. Two or
more departments may be headed by the same individual and the City Manager
may head one or more departments.”
Jim Blagg has served as Interim Director of Public Safety since January 2007,
appointed to that position with the departure of Rick Smith. Following a
careful and thorough review of his work over the last six months, as well as an
ongoing analysis of our organizational development, I feel it is important for
Mr. Blagg to remain in this position. He will assume the position vacated by
Rick Smith, as authorized in the Department of Public Safety budget. With
this appointment, his compensation will be paid through DPS.
Mr. Blagg has done an excellent job for the City of Southlake in his interim
assignment in a number of ways. He has extensive public as well as private
sector management experience and brings professional maturity and sound
judgment to the assignment. He is analytical and has a clear vision of how to
accomplish departmental goals. His leadership style, consistency and fairness
have brought a sense of stability to the department during a period of time
which has been characterized by change. He has also proven himself to be a
strong member of the management team, providing sound guidance to other
departmental directors.
With his appointment as Interim Director, the position has evolved
significantly. The Chiefs are now responsible for more of the day-to-day
technical oversight of their respective divisions, while Mr. Blagg has
developed and provided general management and oversight of the department.
A few examples of his work during the last several months include:
He effectively guided the transition of our communications center to the
City of Keller and oversaw the implementation of the new CRIMES
software package;
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Appointment of Jim Blagg
Page 2 of 3
He has taken the lead on the development of plans for the central DPS
facility, coordinating the effort with the Crime Control and Prevention
District Board of Directors, and has led the negotiations for the acquisition
of land for this purpose;
He negotiated the use of a CISD facility as interim space for DPS staff
during the construction of the facility;
He managed the development of the final presentation to the CALEA board
and led the informal discussion with the board members assigned to
Southlake to ensure re-accreditation for Police Services. Oversaw
preparation for the accreditation visit this spring, resulting in a positive
review by the on-site accreditors (final determination will be presented in
June).
He is currently evaluating and negotiating long-term animal control and
shelter options;
He has directed the development of the Department’s corporate business
plan and is working with the staff on the development of the FY 2008
departmental budget.
He has also provided decision-making guidance on personnel issues, taken
responsibility for financial management of the department, and is currently
focused on improving internal and external departmental communication
initiatives. He has achieved these things while providing direction in other
areas of the organization.
Mr. Blagg has served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Southlake
since November 2005. During that time he has served as the city’s Chief
Operating Officer, and would continue to do so with the appointment into this
position. However, his oversight responsibilities will be primarily aligned with
the operational responsibilities of DPS and the public services workgroup.
His appointment will be effective June 6, 2007, following Council’s action.
Financial
Considerations:
Mr. Blagg currently works under an employment contract with the City of
Southlake and would continue to work under the same terms when placed into
this position. However, with the beginning of the new fiscal year in October
we will move him into a regular staff position. Funds are available in the
budget for this position within the DPS budget.
Citizen Input/
Board Review:
N/A, however, a letter has been prepared to send to interested DPS groups to
inform them of the appointment.
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Appointment of Jim Blagg
Page 3 of 3
Legal Review:
N/A
Alternatives:
N/A
Supporting
Documents:
None
Staff
Recommendation:
Staff recommends Council approval of the appointment of Jim Blagg to the
position of Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Safety for the City of
Southlake.