Killeen City Council members offered neither comments nor questions after Judith Tangalin was introduced on Tuesday as City Manager Kent Cagle’s choice for executive director of finance.
“Four (candidates) met qualifications,” Executive Director of Human Resources Eva Bark said. “The city manager selected (Tangalin) as the executive director of finance.
Tangalin is expected to be confirmed on Jan. 10, about six months after Jonathan Locke resigned as Killeen’s executive director of finance.
“We have seen her in person perform, and she has done a great job,” Mayor Debbie Nash-King said.
“A total of eight candidates applied and four met qualifications,” according to a staff report. “City leadership narrowed the four to three finalists and interviewed the candidates in person” on Nov. 14. “Cagle extended a conditional promotional offer to … Judith Tangalin.”
Tangalin has been with the city since 2015, when she was senior budget analyst and staff accountant, the staff report shows.
“She was then promoted to management accountant and then to controller, which is the position she currently holds.”
Tangalin was named interim executive director of finance after Locke left in July.
Using search firm Strategic Government Resources of Keller, near Fort Worth, the job was posted on Aug. 22 on that company’s job board and with the League of Women in Government, National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Local Government Hispanic Network, International City/County Management Association, Association for Finance Professionals, Government Finance Officers, American Institute of CPAs, Careers in Government, Texas Municipal League, Government Finance Officers Association of Texas, Oklahoma Municipal League, and Florida City-County Municipal Association, and with the University of Kansas Public Administration Email Newsletter.
According to the staff report, Strategic Government Resources received eight resumes.
“Tangalin served in the United States Army for (10) years and five of those years, she was a budget analyst/defense travel system administrator,” according to the staff report. “After leaving the military … Tangalin worked for the Department of State Health Services as an accountant.”
If her nomination is confirmed, Tangalin’s salary would be $155,000 — down from the $155,339.18 salary Locke received.
“Ms. Judith Tangalin’s current salary is $139,050, which is the pay for interim executive director of finance,” city spokeswoman Janell Ford has said.
Renaming Fort Hood Street
With Mayor Pro Tem Ken Wilkerson having left the meeting early and with Councilman Ramon Alvarez not in attendance, the other council members agreed 3-1 in a motion of direction to delay the discussion about renaming Fort Hood Street until the full council is available. Jose Segarra voted against the motion; Nina Cobb abstained.
“Fort Hood will be changing their name,” Nash-King said. “Because Fort Hood Street was named after Fort Hood, some of the concerns that were brought to me are that we have soldiers, veterans’ families and family members in our community who were avidly against the name change of Fort Hood.”
The possible change coincides with those at Fort Hood to comply with a congressional mandate to rename military installations and buildings named after members of the Confederacy.
Fort Hood has been ordered to change its name to Fort Cavazos by Jan. 1, 2024.
“Even though we do not (fall under) that mandate … we are partners with Fort Hood,” Nash-King said. “That is one approach — that we could change it for the new name. It just makes sense to me. But that is the pro side, the unity of it.
“The negative side is all the businesses that are located on Fort Hood Street. They will pick up an expense.”
The late Gen. Richard Cavazos was the Army’s first Hispanic four-star general and a Texas native who commanded III Corps and Fort Hood. He was Fort Hood’s top commander from 1980 to 1982.
Cavazos died in San Antonio at the age of 88 in 2017. An elementary school in Nolanville is named after him.
“I will say I think it’s responsible for the mayor to present this early for discussion,” Boyd said. “I think the name that is proposed is appropriate. We can do a poll and have all these other names come in, but the businesses should have something familiar.”
Gonzalez mentioned the Killeen Daily Herald’s weekly poll question on its website, kdhnews.com. As of Tuesday night, more than 300 votes had been cast in the poll in which readers are asked, “Do you think the Killeen City Council should rename Fort Hood Street, as Fort Hood is being renamed Fort Cavazos?”
More than 76% of the poll-takers said the name should not be changed.
“I’m against it,” Segarra said. “I think just leave it the same. I think it pays tribute to hundreds of thousands of soldiers … who have served on Fort Hood. Keeping it the same just pays tribute to the history of what Fort Hood was prior to that change. I’m in favor of just keeping it the same, mayor.”
Gonzalez said her concerns are with businesses that have to incur expenses from the name change.
“My father was here when it was Camp Hood,” she said.
Jake Smith, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Waco division, has told the Herald the agency “is working with (Fort Hood) to coordinate on-state system sign changes.”
However, that does not apply to that section of Fort Hood Street — a north-south State Highway 195 corridor — inside the city limits.
“TxDOT will honor a name change and will change on-state system signage if the city decides to rename the road,” Smith said. “Local city signage would not be under TxDOT purview.”
The William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 applies only to federal military installations and buildings — not those owned by the states or political subdivisions.
