TAFT, Texas — In a brief special meeting Thursday, the Taft City Council voted to place City Manager Ryan Smith on administrative leave ahead of his final day on March 15.
As previously reported, a 4-1 decision was reached at the previous council meeting to terminate Smith in what they called a "unilateral separation" per the conditions of the city manager's contract. Part of that contract included 30-day written notice following the council's vote.
Mayor Elida Castillo said the decision to place Smith on leave was made to protect the city's operations and systems during the notice period.
"Because of the contract, he does get 30 days' notice, and just for the city, our protection and to be fair to our citizens, the decision was made to place Mr. Smith on administrative leave until the end of his contract, so March 15th is the date of termination," Castillo said.
"The city manager is so heavily involved in a lot of the city operations now that he is placed on administrative leave, he won't have access to any of the city's finances for example," Castillo said.
Smith filed a formal grievance Feb. 11 challenging the council's actions, alleging the termination vote, a Jan. 14 resolution calling his surety bond and a Jan. 27 resolution directing dismissal of his lawsuit were retaliatory and procedurally invalid.
In the 14-page grievance, Smith contends the council's actions constitute retaliation for protected activities, including his filing of a lawsuit against city officials, his submission of a written brief to the Texas Attorney General's Office concerning potential Open Meetings Act violations and a late-January complaint he made to the Texas Department of Public Safety's Office of Inspector General regarding a local Texas Ranger.
Smith also points to what he describes as an "intimidating environment" at City Hall, noting that during his tenure, the former chief of police initiated two criminal matters against him based on actions taken in his official capacity, both resolved in his favor.
One of those matters involved now-Councilmember Mariah Moreno, who after being terminated from her city employment filed an October 2024 "wrongful termination" police report naming Smith as the suspect.
The incident was classified as "Information Only" and resulted in no charges, according to the grievance.
The grievance further alleges that multiple councilmembers have conflicts of interest or demonstrated bias toward Smith. It states that Moreno, a former city employee whom Smith terminated, later participated in votes concerning his employment, his lawsuit and his bond.
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Smith requests in the grievance that any councilmember with a direct personal conflict of interest or demonstrated bias be recused from all further participation in matters related to his employment, his bond and the grievance.
With Smith on administrative leave, Castillo said the city is now determining next steps. The city has placed an item on the agenda for its next meeting to consider updating the city manager job description, posting the position and identifying an interim city manager.
Castillo expressed confidence in city staff to maintain operations in the interim.
"I have trust in our staff," Castillo said. "The city manager's job was to oversee them, but each one knows what their responsibilities are, so we expect that things will continue."
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