Administration

The City of Hemphill has adopted the City Manager form of government.  Under the City Manager plan, the voters elect a city council, which, in turn, hires a city manager to administer the city’s day-to-day affairs.  Under this plan, the council serves as a legislative body.  The mayor and councilmembers have no administrative duties, as they are vested in the city manager.  The council sets policy, approves the budget, and determines the payroll size and the extent and cost of municipal services. In short, the council is the final authority on all of the many policy decisions that determine the scope and functions of the city government. The City Manager is responsible for directing the workforce and programs of the city in accordance with ordinances, rules, and regulations adopted by the council. The City Manager is designated as the chief executive and administrative officer of the city and is accountable to the council for the proper conduct of all municipal operations. The City Manager has the unilateral authority to hire, discipline, and fire the department heads under the manager’s control. The City Manager’s primary function is to implement the policies established by the council and ensure that the city is operated in an economical and responsible manner. Specific duties of the manager may include the following: 1) Enforcing all city ordinances, rules, and regulations; 2) Supervising all municipal employees and programs; 3) Preparing and executing the city’s annual budget pursuant to the revenue and expenditure plans adopted by the council; 4) Managing the city’s funds and preparing periodic reports that advise the council and the general public of the city’s financial condition; 5) Providing information to the council to facilitate its ability to make informed decisions in the best interests of the city;  6) Preparing council meeting agendas and attending all such meetings to serve as a resource to the council and the public; and  7) Drawing the council’s attention to community needs and recommending alternatives by which the council can respond to those needs.

Thad Smith is the current City Manager.  He has been an employee of the city since November 30, 2020.  He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University.  Mr. Smith retired from the US Army in 2011 as a Sergeant Major and has a wealth of project and personnel management experience from previous positions. 

Kelli Beall is the current City Secretary/Accountant, and she has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Professional Accountancy from Stephen F. Austin State University.  She has been an employee of the city since July 23, 2018, and she was appointed as City Secretary/Accountant effective August 1, 2018.  Before her employment with the City, she was employed by Rayburn Redevelopment and Axley and Rode, LLP.  She is currently enrolled in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program to obtain her TRMC.  Functioning much like the Secretary of State, the City Secretary/Municipal Clerk is the local official who maintains the integrity of the election process, ensures transparency and access to city records, facilitates the city’s legislative process, and is the recorder of local government history. The City Secretary acts as the compliance officer for federal, state, and local statutes, including the Open Meetings Act and the Public Information Act, and serves as the filing authority for campaign finance reports and financial disclosure statements. In the City of Hemphill, the City Secretary also serves as the city's accountant, human resources manager as well as the office manager of the City office. The City Secretary is an administrative position and NOT a secretarial position.  Please refer to the following quote regarding the City Secretary/City Clerk position: 

"No other office in municipal service has so many contacts, It serves the mayor, the city council, the city manager (when there is one), and all administrative departments without exception.  All of them call upon it, almost daily, for some service or information.  Its work is not spectacular, but it demands versatility, alertness, accuracy, and no end of patience.  The public does not realize how many loose ends of city administration this office pulls together"              -- William Bennett Munro, Political Scientist 1934