The Austin city manager is the chief appointed executive who runs the daily operations of city government, hired by and answerable to the city council. The position exists because Austin uses a council-manager form of government: the mayor and ten council members set policy, and a professional administrator carries it out. T.C. Broadnax currently holds the job, and the operation he oversees included a fiscal year 2025–2026 budget of roughly $6.3 billion.1AustinTexas.gov. Austin City Manager’s Office2AustinTexas.gov. Austin City Council Approves $6.3 Billion Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget
Where the Job’s Authority Comes From
Article V, Section 1 of the Austin City Charter designates the city manager as the chief administrative and executive officer of the city.3Municode Library. Austin City Charter That designation matters because it draws a clear line between the two halves of city government. The council legislates: ordinances, tax rates, the annual budget. The manager executes: staffing, department direction, service delivery.
Council members can investigate departments and demand information, but they cannot individually direct city employees or override the manager’s administrative decisions. The point of the structure is to keep political shifts out of day-to-day operations, so the water gets treated and the ambulances run regardless of what the council is fighting about that month.
What the City Manager Actually Does
Article V, Section 2 of the charter spells out the specific powers.3Municode Library. Austin City Charter The broadest is making sure city laws and ordinances are carried out. In practice that means issuing administrative directives, setting internal policies, and tracking performance across every department.
The manager controls hiring, suspension, and removal of city officers and employees, with limited exceptions carved out in the charter or state law. Department heads report to the city manager, not to individual council members. When a department underperforms or a reorganization would help, the manager can restructure without waiting for a council vote.
Preparing the Budget
Each year the manager prepares and submits the operating budget to the council. For fiscal year 2025–2026 that document reached about $6.3 billion, covering police and fire, parks, public health, homelessness programs, and everything else the city funds.2AustinTexas.gov. Austin City Council Approves $6.3 Billion Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget The council votes on the final version, but the draft starts in the manager’s office, which is where the initial spending priorities get set.
Between budget cycles, the manager provides ongoing financial reports to the council on the city’s fiscal condition and future needs. Those reports feed decisions about bond elections, capital projects, and property tax rates. Cost estimates and staffing projections for new council initiatives typically come out of the manager’s office too.
Austin Energy and Other Utilities
Austin owns its electric utility, which is unusual for a city its size. Austin Energy serves roughly half a million customer accounts, and the city manager selects its general manager, who then hires the executive team.4Austin Energy. Executive Leadership Team Budget and policy oversight stay with the council, but operational control runs through the manager. The same chain applies to Austin Water, public works, emergency medical services, and the rest of the city’s departments. When a boil-water notice goes out or a storm knocks out power, the coordinated response comes from the manager’s office.
How the Manager Is Hired
The council appoints the city manager by an affirmative vote of a majority of the full membership.3Municode Library. Austin City Charter No outside nominating body is involved. The decision rests entirely with the eleven elected officials, meaning the ten council members and the mayor.
There is no fixed term. The manager serves indefinitely at the council’s pleasure, under an employment agreement negotiated at hiring. That agreement covers salary, allowances, and benefits. When the council hired T.C. Broadnax in 2024, the agreement included a base salary of $470,000 along with a temporary housing allowance and relocation assistance.
How the Manager Can Be Removed
Removal follows a set sequence in the charter.3Municode Library. Austin City Charter It starts with a majority vote of the full council. That vote can immediately suspend the manager from duty, though the manager typically remains entitled to salary for a designated period afterward.
After the initial vote, the manager receives notice of the council’s intent and has the right to request a public hearing. If requested, the council holds the hearing to discuss its reasons before casting a final vote. The charter makes the council’s action final. Once the final vote passes, the manager’s tenure ends unless the employment agreement says otherwise, and the council appoints an interim manager while it searches for a permanent replacement.
The charter does not require the council to show cause. The hearing forces reasons onto the record, but it does not give the manager a legal defense against removal.
Qualifications and Restrictions
The charter requires high-level executive and administrative qualifications. Councils typically look for candidates with deep experience running large organizations, usually in public administration, finance, or urban planning. Broadnax brought more than 30 years in municipal government when the council hired him.1AustinTexas.gov. Austin City Manager’s Office
The charter also blocks the manager from holding any other elected or appointed public office while serving Austin, and it prohibits financial interests in city contracts or franchises. Those rules exist because the manager controls purchasing decisions, contract awards, and personnel actions affecting thousands of employees, and even the appearance of a conflict would compromise the position.