Dallas paid out nearly $44,000 in unused vacation time to former city manager T.C. Broadnax after he left the city for the same job in Austin, Dallas payroll records show.
The five-figure payment comes after public outcries from Mayor Eric Johnson opposing any severance for Broadnax after his resignation went into effect in May.
Broadnax and several City Council members reported that the former Dallas city manager resigned in February at the suggestion of the majority of the group, triggering a clause in Broadnax’s Dallas contract that requires he receive a single lump-sum payout equal to his annual $423,246 salary.
Broadnax’s contract also granted him compensation for unused vacation time. Records released to The Dallas Morning News for a pay period that covered May 15 to May 28 showed that payout was $43,789. The city payroll records say Broadnax netted $28,963 after taxes and pension contributions were taken out. The pay statement does not say how many total vacation hours Broadnax was owed.
Broadnax began working as Austin city manager on May 6. He had been Dallas city manager since 2017. City records released to The News don’t show any six-figure payout given to Broadnax thus far this year, but the City Council last month approved adjusting the city’s budget to cover the costs.
Johnson’s office didn’t immediately respond to email and text requests for comment Friday.
Johnson has questioned whether the city should pay Broadnax any severance, and has raised concerns about how the council majority was compiled and the short time between Broadnax’s February resignation announcement and his April hiring in Austin.
Johnson is the only one of the 15-member City Council who has publicly opposed Broadnax’s severance, drawing rebukes from some of his elected colleagues. Council member Adam Bazaldua, one of the eight council members who suggested Broadnax resign, described the mayor’s severance pay opposition to The News in April as “political posturing at its finest”.
City officials have given no indication Dallas will not pay Broadnax’s severance.
Johnson asked the council’s ad hoc committee on administrative affairs to discuss a possible resolution against the payout. The five-member council group met in closed session June 3 to discuss legal issues related to Broadnax’s severance payment. The meeting adjourned nearly an hour later with no public discussion and no action taken by the committee.
Dallas is searching for a new permanent city manager. The City Council last month approved hiring tax advisory firm Baker Tilly US to lead the city manager candidate search.
“The rest of the country is watching what we’re doing and how we are treating our personnel,” council member Chad West told The News on Friday. “And if we want to be able to recruit top talent from across the country, we need to put forth a good image and do what’s right and treat our people correctly, ethically and properly.”
