Round Rock City Council names next city manager

ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock City Council has named its next city manager, Brooks Bennett.

The current city manager, Laurie Hadley, recently announced her retirement in December.

"I think everything has a season, and it's my season to retire," said Hadley.

After 37 years in government, 14 of those in Round Rock, Hadley plans to hang her hat in politics.

"I'm not going to say it's been easy because municipal government is never easy, but it's been enjoyable, to be honest," said Hadley.

What might be remembered most about Hadley's work in Round Rock, is her effort to bring in Kalahari resorts and build the new library downtown.

Those are all things she wanted to accomplish before leaving.

"It just feels like the right time in terms of generational, if you will," said Hadley.

Next in line is her right-hand man and long-time assistant city manager, Brooks Bennett.

"I met Brooks pretty much the first day I started here," said Hadley.

Bennett started working alongside Hadley as an assistant city manager in February 2015. He began his career with the city in 2004 in the Communications and Marketing Department.

Brooks Bennett

When it came time for the council to vote on his appointment, it was a unanimous and excited "yes."

"To me, the goal is to not screw it up," said Bennett. "To make sure we keep on a path of success and, as Laurie mentioned, that the general public doesn't know anything different. That they still see Round Rock as a premier place to start a business or to grow a family. I think the government is at its best when people aren't really thinking about it."

Bennett said his biggest challenge ahead will be preserving the small-town feel of Round Rock while also supporting its growth.

"I don't think there's any mitigation of growth," said Bennett. "It is coming. We need to do it in a thoughtful and smart way, and we have done that for decades, and a lot of that is through smart planning."

He's focused on keeping a major voter-approved May 2023 bond on track and within budget.

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It puts millions towards expanding public safety and parks projects, but he doesn't want to neglect the older parts of the city either.

"Not forgetting things like the Clay Madsen Rec Center that opened in 1996 that we need to make sure it's well maintained and has new amenities into the future," said Bennett. 

When it comes his time to retire, however far out that is, he hopes to have made as big of an impact as Hadley.

"Even though we might be footnotes in history at that point, we'll know that we've had our fingers on things that have had a very long and lasting impression," said Bennett. 

If his last name sounds familiar, his dad served as city manager between 1979 and 2003.

Bennett will step into the new role on December 8.

Brad Wiseman joined Round Rock as an assistant city manager in December 2023.

The city doesn’t have to have more than one assistant city manager, but it’s an option Bennett says he’ll consider when he begins his job.