Groves is a great opportunity for those looking to make a difference in a City with a strong sense of community. Residents pride themselves on their hospitality and are always willing to lend a hand or offer a friendly smile – a community known for its neighborliness and never-ending commitment to helping one another. There are long-time generations of families and friends who continue to live in the community and enjoy the benefits of a smaller community, but with the services and amenities of a significantly larger community due to Groves’ regional location. The community’s schools are widely supported where the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District is routinely ranked as a leader within the state of Texas.
The City is within approximately 20 minutes of the more urban Beaumont and within an hour and a half of the Houston metropolitan area. Located in southeast Texas (Jefferson County), approximately 5 square miles, a population of approximately 18,000, within a major national strategic economic and recreational geographic area, Groves offers a tremendously high quality of life. Groves is one of 9 cities within Jefferson County comprising a trade area of 248,849 population (425,614 within the trade area of four counties of the Southeast Texas Economic Development Foundation). Groves is within an area that has capitalized as a convenient hub for regional, national, and worldwide commerce. The region is connected by Interstate 10, as well as US Highways 69, 96, 90, 105 and 287. Groves is located within the robust and dynamic petrochemical industry region of southeast Texas including part of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and most of the Texas portion of the Intracoastal Waterway. The area is also crossed by numerous rivers and streams, the largest being the Sabine and Neches Rivers. The large bodies of water in southeast Texas are Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake, with the large reservoirs of East Texas just to the north.
Groves’ residents enjoy access to a variety of local amenities and recreational activities. The City has several well-maintained parks and playgrounds including John Spikes Memorial Park. Residents can enjoy picnicking, walking trails, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Sabine Lake, a 90,000-acre lake, is located within 30 minutes of Groves and serves as a regional attraction. Within minutes to under an hour are several public golf courses. A variety of popular annual events take place in Groves and are enjoyed by both residents and visitors. Among them are the Pecan Festival Pageant and Parade, a Christmas Parade and a Chamber of Commerce held Easter egg hunt.
GROVE’S GOVERNMENT
Groves is a Council-Manager form of government and operates with an adopted City Charter. In addition to the City Manager, Charter officers include the City Attorney, both who report to and are appointed by the five-member City Council. Additionally, Groves Police Department is managed by an elected Marshal, but the Department’s budget is part of the City Manager’s budget submitted to the Council annually. City Council elections are non-partisan, and the Mayor and Council members are elected at-large, in staggered terms, every two years. City Council members represent four geographic wards in City-wide elections. Groves has enjoyed extraordinary stability in City Managers, with the last manager retiring after nearly twenty years of service. The Mayor presides over Council meetings, participates, and votes as a member of Council but does not have veto authority.
Groves is a full-service municipality providing public works, utilities, human resources, building, zoning, library, police, and fire. A small but mighty staff of 104 FTEs, also with 10 part-time, provide services through ten departments. Police and Fire have recognized bargaining units. The organization also prides itself on a very low turnover rate with many junior and senior staff members serving at least ten years or more on average.
The City Council seeks a candidate that is an effective communicator with an ability to articulate complex issues with clarity and broad understanding. The new manager should be able to demonstrate success in financial management; be a strategic thinker who understands the value and importance of challenging the team to deliver on high standards; appreciates diverse perspectives on issues; and has experience in goal setting, reaching consensus, and has a strong commitment to professional and ethical standards. The City Council also values experience in understanding the importance of community outreach and managing expectations while maintaining relationships with all whom interact and do business with the City.
For detailed information about the City of Groves and the Charter provided duties and responsibilities of the Mayor, City Council and City Manager, please visit the City’s website at www.cigrovestx.com . A full recruitment profile is available at www.slavinweb.com
REQUIREMENTS
Requires a combination of education and experience equivalent to attainment of an MPA or MBA and at least 7 years of increasingly responsible local government management experience gained in a community or other public agency with similar complexity to Groves is preferred. Experience in Texas is not a prerequisite as long as other relevant and desired expertise is represented. Recent experience as a department head, assistant or deputy city manager may also be considered. The successful candidate must clearly possess and apply the superior management and leadership knowledge, skill, ability, commitment, and energy needed to achieve the Council’s goals.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Compensation for the position will be highly competitive. Beginning compensation is negotiable based on qualifications and experience. The City provides excellent employee benefits which include generous paid time off, medical, dental vision, prescription drug, a flexible spending account, life/AD&D, long term disability, retirement benefits, professional development and more.
TO APPLY
The recruitment will remain open until the position is filled. The first review of applications is scheduled for June 9, 2023. Resumes are considered confidential unless the applicant indicates otherwise. To apply, please email a letter of interest, a detailed résumé, and current salary to:
Robert E. Slavin, President or John Kross, Southwest Regional Manager.
Coral Gables has a residential population of approximately 51,133 and encompasses 12.92 square miles southwest of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Since its incorporation in 1925, it has been considered one of South Florida's premier residential communities. The City has approximately 11 million square feet of office space and has developed into an international center of commerce serving as divisional headquarters for more than 150 multinational companies and 19 consulates and trade offices. The downtown area of Coral Gables is a vibrant business environment due to its central location, proximity to international travel hubs, quality dining, and exceptional hotels. The University of Miami, the largest private employer in Coral Gables, instructs approximately 17,000 students and employs approximately 15,100 full-time faculty and staff.
The City of Coral Gables supports both the residential and business sectors with excellent City services, having attained the highest possible standards in every field. The City employs 880 FTE’s who collectively provide a full array of municipal services. Many Coral Gables employees are represented by labor unions. The community highly regar...ds and generously supports their City government. The City has made a strong commitment to municipal excellence, which is evidenced by numerous nationally recognized awards and achievements. A few examples include AAA bond ratings by all three national rating agencies and fully accredited Police and Fire Departments. In fact, in 2014, the City's Police Department earned its seventh re accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the international gold standard in public safety. The City's Fire Department is one of only a handful of fire departments nationally to hold the distinction of Class 1 status for providing exemplary fire protection to the community. In addition, in 1993, Coral Gables became the first municipality ever to receive the National Emergency Management Award. The City’s Recreation Department is one of only 155 departments accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).
