AUSTIN, Texas — A new investigative report shows that former interim Austin city manager Jesús Garza violated the city’s code of ethics.
The independent report submitted to the Office of the City Auditor says Garza secured contracts for consultants without city council approval.
The report states that during his first week after Mayor Kirk Watson appointed him as interim city manager, Garza hired two consultants who had previously worked for him when he was the city manager under Watson in the late-1990s and early 2000s. The consultants each earned more than $265,000 from those contracts.
Austin’s city charter limits the city manager’s purchasing authority to contract amounts up to $76,000, and the report states that Garza didn’t submit these subcontracts for city council approved like he should have.
If the city’s Ethics Review Commission agrees with the report, the next step is accountability action. The commission could issue Garza various levels of written reprimands and could also refer a violation to local prosecutors for a potential misdemeanor charge.
Garza no longer serves as the city’s interim city manager, as T.C. Broadnax took over the permanent role in May.