City Council Extends City Manager George Antuna’s Contract and Authorizes Pay Raise to $155,000
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council conducted an evaluation of City Manager George Antuna during Executive Session at their special meeting held on Tuesday, October 14, 2021 and upon returning into Open Session approved the extension of Antuna’s employment contract for an additional year and a pay raise from $143,000 per year to $155,000 per year plus benefits.
City Manager George Antuna was initially hired by the Eagle Pass City Council during former Mayor Ramsey English Cantu’s tenure and commenced working with the City of Eagle Pass on March 4, 2019. Antuna has served for two years and eight months as City Manager of Eagle Pass.
Antuna replaced former Interim City Manager Ivan Morua who served in that position for approximately 14 months due to the resignation of previous City Manager Arturo B. Rodriguez in December of 2017. Morua returned to his earlier post of Assistant City Manager after Antuna was hired and currently serves in that position.
Prior to being hired as City Manager, Antuna did not have any experience as a City Manager but did have significant experience in governmental relations working for different Republican-elected officials. Antuna worked as a Regional Director for former United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison during 2001-2005 and as a Special Assistant to former Texas Lieutenant Governor Rick Perry during 2000-2001.
Immediately prior to being hired as Eagle Pass City Manager, Antuna was President of Timeless Sunsets, LLC during 2013-2019, a public relations and communications company, served as a City Council member of the City of Schertz, Texas during 2010-2013, worked as Economic Development Director of a municipality, sold health insurance for an insurance agency, and ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate to the Texas House of Representatives during 2006.
Antuna has steered the City of Eagle Pass fiscal year budgets during the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused great stress upon the city’s finances, particularly the decrease in general revenues from the two City-owned International Bridges due to the imposition of non-essential travel restrictions at the United States, Mexico, and Canada borders by former President Donald Trump and extended by current President Joe Biden, without minimal interruption of city services to local citizens.
During Antuna’s first year as City Manager, the City Council approved a fiscal year budget for 2019-2020 of $38 million, during his second year a fiscal year budget for 2020-2021 of $55 million, and just last month approved a fiscal year budget for 2021-2022 of $52 million.
Eagle Pass citizens received positive news this week with the announcement of U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announcement that the non-essential travel restrictions at the United States, Mexico, and Canada borders will be lifted in November 2021, which should return the City of Eagle Pass financial status to normal with the anticipated increase of general fund revenues from its two City-owned International Bridges.
