What鈥檚 in store for at his job evaluation this week? And will he even have one?
Under Austin鈥檚 form of government, the city council sets policy, and the city manager implements it. Ott was appointed by the council in 2008, replacing longtime city employee Toby Futrell 鈥� and in that time, he has received mixed reviews.
The Austin American-Statesman of Ott鈥檚 tenure at the city. He鈥檚 received high marks for implementing a more transparent public budgeting process, and his role in steering while comparable cities have fared worse during the Great Recession.
But Ott has also been criticized for a 鈥渉ands off鈥� approach, especially when compared to his predecessor Futrell, and his handling of some high-profile incidents 鈥� chief among them the city鈥檚 stance in the aftermath of the Nathaniel Sanders II police shooting, and that was highly critical of the events leading to Sanders鈥� death. (The council ultimately with Sanders鈥� family.)
Ott's annual review was scheduled for council鈥檚 August 2 meeting, but was abruptly postponed, leading to speculative chatter among City Hall watchers. Mayor Lee Leffingwell released a statement later that day saying the postponement came via council member Bill Spelman, who would not be able to make the review and asked it be rescheduled.
Ott鈥檚 performance review is now posted on, but with council member Spelman recovering from surgery , it鈥檚 unlikely he will be in attendance this Thursday.
However, Spelman did share some thoughts on Ott鈥檚 performance with the Statesman, saying the city鈥檚 "limited and reactive" approach to Austin鈥檚 growth required Ott to share more details regarding 鈥渉ow he proposes to continue to provide high-level services at a reasonable cost."
