A little more than a year into the job, El Paso City Manager Dionne Mack recently faced a pivotal test: the first performance evaluation by the City Council – rating in the “meets expectations” range.
The council also recently performed an annual review of City Attorney Karla Nieman, who also rated “meets expectations.”
On the five-point scale used by council members — where 1 means performance falls short, 3 represents meeting expectations and 5 reflects exceeding expectations — Mack earned a 4.06. Nieman, who has served as city attorney since 2018, received a 3.54.
The City Council has the authority to hire and fire the top executives, and annual performance evaluations give it the opportunity to negotiate or amend the executive’s employment agreements.
Nieman and Mack’s employment agreements remained largely the same following this year’s evaluations, except for the removal of a provision that allowed for severance pay if either were to be fired for misconduct. The change coincides with the passing of Texas House Bill 762 that took effect Sept. 1, which limits severance pay from public funds to no more than 20 weeks of salary, bans severance for misconduct and requires severance agreements be posted on the entity’s website.
Both Mack’s and Nieman’s current employment contracts and severance agreements are posted on the city’s website under the new law on their profile pages.
The performance evaluations, released this week following open records requests by El Paso Matters and others, were posted to the city’s website. The release comes after the Texas attorney general ruled that the city must release a majority of the records requested by El Paso Matters, including the evaluation forms, contracts and salary information. The city is still seeking to withhold other requested documents, including City Council members’ notes from executive sessions where the evaluations were discussed.
City Manager Dionne Mack
Mack’s score on her evaluation, which was signed Sept. 8, is not tied to a merit increase under her contract. Instead, Mack’s contract stipulates she receives the same pay increases as other non-uniform employees. Her starting salary was $350,000. Her salary is now about $359,000, which includes two across-the-board, minimum wage pay increases since taking on the new role.
“Having nine people contribute to an evaluation was new! I appreciated hearing from the mayor and council, especially the discussion about goals,” Mack said in an emailed response to El Paso Matters. “It’s the only opportunity I have to speak with the whole group. We are well aligned on areas that warrant more focus.”
Her next pay raise – the 1% increase approved by council for all staff – takes effect in January, she said.
The goals outlined in Mack’s performance evaluation largely focused on improving communication with the City Council over requests, feedback and reporting incidents or events that need addressing.
The City Council praised Mack for her financial management and her relationship with members of council.
“The approach she developed to presenting the City’s budget has been particularly helpful and appreciated by the Council, who also commend her for her willingness to confront difficult budget trade-offs head-on. The City Manager has shown herself to be adept at finding ways to save money, thereby reducing the City’s debt load and expanding the General Fund,” the general comments read.
Her accessibility to the City Council also garnered positive feedback.
“Her ability to remain candid and composed particularly when navigating disagreement or difficult policy terrain is one of her core strengths. Her efforts to make complex issues more understandable through structured updates, standing meetings, and individualized briefings have been appreciated,” the performance evaluation states.
Though the evaluation included several praises for Mack’s communication with the City Council, staff and the community, there was at least one point of contention.
“The City Manager can be at times defensive or overly protective when Council provides feedback or raises questions or concerns about City staff or processes,” the performance evaluation states.
Mack was hired as El Paso’s third city manager Aug. 19, 2024, and started in the position in September of that year. Her employment agreement goes through May 2028 with an automatic one-year extension unless either Mack or the City Council agree to part ways before the end of the term.
Mack replaced Tommy Gonzalez, who was abruptly fired in February 2023 after nine years on the job.
The city manager’s role is key in implementing policies set out by the City Council as well as hiring top executive leaders and overseeing city operations, developing the city budget, ensuring policies are implemented and that city services are delivered effectively.
City Attorney Karla Nieman
Nieman was appointed interim city attorney in June 2018 before being hired in October 2018.
The city attorney advises city officials on legal matters, drafts and reviews ordinances, resolutions, contracts and policies, and represents the city in civil lawsuits, administrative hearings, and other legal proceedings. The city attorney also appoints assistant city attorneys and supervises the City Attorney’s Office.
Under her contract, Nieman’s score triggered a 3% merit pay increase that kicked in late June, bringing her base pay to about $336,000. Nieman also receives pay raises that other non-uniform employees receive. Her evaluation was completed and signed June 26, though it hadn’t been released until this week.
“I appreciated the opportunity to discuss performance and priorities with the Mayor and City Council during my annual evaluation. It is one of the few times we can address goals together as a full body, and we are aligned on areas that warrant continued focus,” Nieman said in an emailed statement to El Paso Matters.
Nieman said there were no unexpected issues raised during her evaluation.
The City Council highlighted some of Nieman’s strengths.
“Her most consistent strengths include fiscal management, provision of legal services, managing the legal department and hiring, retaining and developing capable staff,” the evaluation states. “Under her leadership, her office has maintained a solid track record of responsiveness and follow-through in its representation of the City.”
The open comments also included that under her leadership “the office provides solid legal counsel, ensuring the city is represented to the fullest of its ability.”
The evaluation also noted Nieman should improve her “tone,” but didn’t specify or describe it.
“While Ms. Nieman’s communication is typically professional, the council would like for her to work on improving the tone of her communication and the accuracy and transparency of her responses,” the evaluation states.
The goals the City Council highlighted for Nieman to address before her next evaluation are to provide more clear and proactive guidance and provide legal advice and professional recommendations in a more timely manner, enhance the clarity and accessibility of legal information that is easy for the City Council and public to understand.
The City Council also asked Nieman to strengthen her relationship with the body by being more collaborative and open and responsive to policy goals.
Nieman’s employment agreement has been amended twice since being hired as city attorney. The first amendment was in 2022 where her salary terms were changed from a 2% merit increase to a 3% merit increase, contracts show. A $350,000 salary cap was also placed on Nieman’s base salary at the time, although the city conducts annual market-based review of city attorney salaries in eight other comparable markets. Her contract states that if her merit increase is lower than the average base salary of the comparison, her salary will increase to match the average, and could exceed the cap based on the market analysis.
“Overall, the process was constructive, and I look forward to continuing our work on behalf of the community,” Nieman said.
The post El Paso city manager, city attorney ‘meet expectations,’ evaluation documents show appeared first on El Paso Matters.
Read: Read More