STAFF REPORT
Kyle Assistant City Manager James Earp will fill the soon-to-be vacant police chief position on an interim basis as the city searches for a replacement, city officials announced Monday.
Police Chief Michael Blake resigned late January after he accepted a job offer to become the police chief of Bastrop. His last day will be Feb. 25.
Earp, who currently oversees the police department in addition to other city departments, will be temporarily re-tasked to focus primarily on the day-to-day operations of the police department, officials say.
City Manager Lanny Lambert finalized the temporary plans and has also put together a nine-member committee to assist in the process of selecting the new chief. The committee will vet the applications, conduct interviews and rank the finalists.
Lambert expects to begin interviews early March, with a final decision by March 31, city officials say.
The police chiefs from Austin and San Marcos have agreed to serve on the committee, which will also include two Kyle city councilmembers, two Kyle department directors, a representative from the Kyle Police Department command staff, a representative from the Kyle police union, and the Kyle’s human resources director who will be non-voting, officials say.
Jerry Hendrix, Kyle’s current communications director, will serve as acting assistant city manager until Earp can return full-time to city hall
