Weimar appoints interim city manager

Hunt for permanent hire begins

The Weimar City Council held a special meeting March 24, appointing an interim city manager after failing to reach an agreement for a new contract with the previous holder of the position.

David Mason, who held a position as the finance director of the city previously, was appointed as the interim city manager after council members went into executive session, taking less than 40 minutes to reach a decision to appoint Mason to temporarily fill the shoes of city manager.

The appointment comes after council were unable to negotiate a contract renewal with former city manager Richard Whitten, who had held his position for nearly a year after accepting the proposal in March 2024, following the resignation of the city manager before him in June 2023. This was Whitten’s first post as a city manager, but he came into the position with vast experience having worked at a paid volunteer fire department and was a chief for several departments throughout his career.

The city temporarily filled the position in time for Mason to be able to work as the executive officer and authorized representative for the HOME Program Reservation System, alongside the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

Work on three homes involved in the program is set to be coming up, with paperwork needing to be signed in order for the contractors working on those projects to get paid.

Council members moved to appoint Mason as the interim city manager before tackling the agenda item regarding the HOME program in order to officially name Mason as the Executive Officer and Authorized Representative for the project.

The city will be searching to permanently fill the position of city manager after the departure of Whitten. The next regular Weimar city council meeting will be held on Thursday, April 10.