u/TexasGrrl

A special meeting of the Rowlett City Council has been scheduled for May 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Rowlett City Hall to address mounting controversy surrounding Interim City Manager Kristoff Bauer.

According to the posted agenda, the council will convene in executive session under Texas Government Code §551.074, which allows deliberation regarding the “appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal” of a public officer or employee, specifically identifying the “Interim City Manager.”

The agenda also states the council may reconvene into open session and take “necessary or appropriate action” following the closed-door discussion.

The meeting comes amid escalating public criticism over the city’s handling of the interim fire chief appointment process. Residents packed recent council meetings to voice concerns after learning the city intended to bring in a retired fire chief from Temple rather than elevate longtime Rowlett personnel.

Many speakers questioned both the transparency of the process and the message it sent to members of the Rowlett Fire Department. Critics argued the decision reflected a broader pattern of leadership disconnect following months of instability at City Hall.

Public frustration intensified further after comments made on social media by Bauer’s wife, Chrystal Bauer. In a Facebook discussion defending her husband, she wrote that comments questioning his awareness of “the heroics of police, fire and EMS” caused her “blood to boil,” and stated there was “absolutely no malicious intent” behind the city’s actions.

The remarks drew additional backlash from residents who argued the controversy was never centered on disrespect toward first responders personally, but rather on leadership judgment, morale, transparency, and public trust.

One resident responded publicly that the issue was “leadership judgment and the city’s handling of a major appointment that directly affects morale, trust, and confidence in public safety leadership,” adding that “public leadership requires more than good intentions.”

The special meeting will occur one day after newly elected council members are sworn into office on May 13. Incoming council members include Chris Kizzar, Carter Holsten, and Byron Fassett.

The timing of the executive session has fueled speculation that the incoming council could move quickly to reassess city leadership following the recent election.

Rowlett residents,

Major leadership decisions are being made right now without clear accountability or public input.

• The City Manager was removed after serious internal issues
• An interim was installed
• Since then, instability has escalated:
  • Fire Department leadership disrupted despite internal support for continuity
  • A former mayor and city official terminated over a private communication
  • External leadership decisions pushed immediately after a local election

These are directional decisions that affect the entire city.

Tonight is where that gets challenged.

Residents are showing up in red to support our firefighters and demand that major decisions be handled transparently and with input from the newly elected council.

City Council Meeting – Tonight
7:00 PM (check agenda for exact time)
City Hall Municipal Building
4000 Main St, Rowlett

Show up. Speak if you can. Stand if you can’t.

Can’t attend in person? Submit Citizen Input here:
https://www.rowletttx.gov/FormCenter/Public-Input-11/Public-Input-118

If no one is in the room, these decisions move forward without resistance.
If the room is full, the pressure changes the outcome.

Yesterday our Emergency Management Coordinator was let go. We have no Community Development Director. Our Interim City Manager needs to go and take his Nichols Jackson attorney/firm with him.

Drive through Rowlett and pay attention. Storm drains buried under debris for two-plus years (the one in front of the salad restaurant on [street] has been blocked since at least 2022). Weeds encroaching on right-of-way. Broken street signs left unrepaired. Trash accumulating along commercial corridors.

A coworker who lives in Mesquite told me she drove to the Chick-fil-A in Rowlett for lunch and said it looked like she'd crossed into a neglected neighborhood. That's not a Rowlett resident's hyperbole. That's a first impression from an outsider.

This is what deferred maintenance looks like from the outside. The city is spending bond money and debating new facilities while the basic visible infrastructure signals that nobody is minding the store.

When you drive through/around Rowlett- what do you notice?