AUSTIN (KXAN) — The performance of Austin City Manager Spencer Kronk will be judged at a specially convened Austin City Council meeting Thursday morning after Mayor Kirk Watson expressed disappointment with the city’s response to last week’s ice storm.

Watson told KXAN the meeting is meant to consider the scope of the city manager’s activities, not just his leadership during this unprecedented weather event.

“Anything can come from this, from nothing that I would be surprised to all the way to cessation. And a lot in between. I’m not going to prejudice. That is the purpose of this performance assessment,” said Watson. While the discussion is on Thursday, members will need to put the issue on a later voting agenda if they want to fire Kronk.

In the event of a layoff, Kronk’s severance pay — as per the 2018 ruling — includes a year’s base salary and six months of COBRA insurance premiums.

COBRA stands for the “Consolidated Comprehensive Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985,” a federal law that requires employers to “offer eligible beneficiaries the opportunity to continue treatment, dentistry, and vision at their own expense in the event of certain eligible events,” according to the COBRA city guide.

The 2018 resolution also clarifies that compensation and severance pay are reviewed at least once a year.

In December, the city council voted to raise Kronk’s base salary to $388,190.40. It was roughly $38,000, or just under 11%.

The city charter specifies the following rules for firing a city manager:

• The city manager may be removed from office by the city council by a majority vote.
• If suspended after six months, the city manager may request written charges and the right to be heard at a public meeting of the city council prior to the date of his/her proposed suspension (the council may remove the city manager before that time).

Kronk was hired by the city in late 2017, ahead of Howard Lazarus, who worked in the city of Austin as director of the Department of Public Works and interim assistant city manager in 2010. Before he moved to Austin, Cronk worked in the city. Minneapolis coordinator.

Watson wrote on Twitter. On Monday, he added an emergency item to the agenda “because the management of this situation and the lack of clear, timely and accurate communication has left our community in the dark. It is unacceptable. The City of Austin can and will do better.”

Kronk showed up at a press conference on Monday to discuss winter weather cleanup. Grace Reader from KXAN asked him to respond to the meeting.

“I serve to the pleasure of this new mayor and council, and I will have this conversation with them on Thursday,” Cronk said. “I am here to make sure we respond directly to this weather event. This was my only goal. I am very grateful to our incredible city staff who do the same. I am focused on restoring power to all of our customers and making sure we successfully manage this weather event.”