City Manager Spencer Cronk responds to council's plans to discuss severance benefits

Power is back on, but fallout continues after Austin ice storm

Austin Energy says it has restored power to all customers whose service was knocked out by the recent ice storm, but as the lights come back on, it's increasingly looking like city manager Spencer Cronk could be out of a job over his handling of the outages.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk has issued a statement following news that Austin City Council plans to discuss severance benefits to Cronk at its upcoming meeting.

An addendum was added to Wednesday's called city council meeting and according to the agenda, council members will tackle paying severance benefits to Cronk.

Council is also expected to discuss and possibly take action on appointing and transitioning to an interim city manager.

There will also be an executive session to discuss legal issues surrounding Cronk's potential departure.

Austin City Council to discuss severance benefits to Spencer Cronk at next meeting

An addendum was added to the upcoming called city council meeting and according to that agenda, council members will tackle paying severance benefits to City Manager Spencer Cronk.

The release of the agenda comes after city sources confirmed to FOX 7 Austin that the council had decided that Cronk must go following the handling of the recent storm that left nearly 200,000 people without power.

Sources say the decision was made unanimously in executive session on February 8. Right now it's not clear if Cronk is to be fired or if he will step down.

Austin City Council decides City Manager Spencer Cronk must go

Right now, city manager Cronk still has a job, but it will soon be decided whether he will resign or if the city will fire him.

Cronk released the following statement about the special meeting on February 15 saying:

"I was not made aware of items that Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tem Ellis, Council Member Alison Alter and Council Member José 'Chito' Vela added to the Special Called Meeting of the Austin City Council on February 15. This meeting was originally posted as a postponed discussion regarding a proposed new one-year meet and confer agreement with the Austin Police Association."

"However, since the posting of these Saturday night addendum items relate to my employment and severance benefits, I will simply reiterate that I remain Austin’s City Manager and no actions have been taken by this new Mayor and Council to change my responsibilities or role. I continue to be focused on serving this community and leading our dedicated workforce."

"The safety of our residents, businesses, employees, and visitors has – for me – always been paramount. The final tentative four-year agreement that was reached yesterday is centered on my professional management experience of how best to keep our community safe - and that remains the sole driving factor for pursuing a four-year contract."

"My obligation, one of many as the City Manager, is to ensure the safety of all of our residents. Moving forward on a four-year contract provides greater assurance that the safety of our residents remains intact. Chief Chacon and I have serious concerns that our police staffing levels will be compromised if a one-year contract is pursued. Additionally, I am concerned about the financial impact to the City’s general fund."

"I look forward to the continued conversation with our Council, our community and the dedicated men and women of the Austin Police Department who serve our community every day."