Austin City Council decides City Manager Spencer Cronk must go

AUSTIN, Texas - City sources confirm to FOX 7 Austin that Austin City Council members have decided City Manager Spencer Cronk must go. How he will go is still being decided.

The decision was said to be made unanimously in the city council executive session. Technically City Manager Cronk still has his job, and it will be decided soon if he will step down or will be fired.

This comes after Mayor Kirk Watson announced on Twitter earlier this week that he will be placing an emergency item on the council's executive session agenda. The item was said to discuss the status of the City Manager’s employment with Austin behind closed doors.

This was said to be a direct result of how the ice storm was handled. An ice storm that left thousands of people without power for days and some still without power.

"We're going to have a conversation with our city manager to assess how we might have done differently in this disaster, what needs to be changed, and really have that tough conversation that we need to have. When you're literally in the dark, and you're not hearing about what's going on, when your power's going to get restored, people lose trust in their local government," District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes told FOX 7 Austin Thursday.

City Manager Spencer Cronk has not been available for any comments on his employment status.

Instead, his staff directed FOX 7 Austin to his comments made at Tuesday’s council work session. He said, "I offer my heartfelt apologies for any shortcomings in our response. I want you to know that I'm committed to doing everything in my power to support our community."

A formal decision on the City Manager’s job is expected sometime next week.