FULSHEAR (Covering Katy News)—The Fulshear City Council appointed Zach Goodlander as city manager on Tuesday.
"He's our new city manager, but a familiar face," Mayor Don McCoy said of Goodlander, who has served as acting city manager since the city fired former City Manager Jack Harper in February. "We're very excited about his enthusiasm, his leadership and his ability to think outside the box, which is what Fulshear needs right now to attract and help us grow into the future."
Goodlander said transparency is a top goal as he assumes his new role. He hoped the city would show transparency in dealing with a water line break earlier this week.
"We always try to inform residents what happened," Goodlander said. "Why did it happen? Where did it happen? What went wrong? Let's own things where we've messed up as the city government. We want to hold ourselves to the high standards our community wants us to be at."
Managing the city's growth is another priority for Goodlander.
"That's important not only from an aesthetic standpoint but also just the long-term financial responsibility standpoint," Goodlander said. "Long-term, is it generating sales tax revenue? Are the revenues it's generating going to be enough to support the infrastructure it needs?" Goodlander said a third goal is working on the city's partners, such as the emergency services district that provides fire department services and the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority.
Goodlander grew up in Willis, south of Huntsville, and said he has always been interested in public service. He earned a track scholarship at Sam Houston State University, where he learned of an internship opportunity in the Huntsville city government. He began his public service career focusing on downtown beautification. Then, he interned with the Huntsville Public Works Department.
He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in political science and master's degree in public administration. He also worked for the cities of Willis and Venus, south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Goodlander came to Fulshear in February 2019 as planning director and became assistant city manager in November 2022.
"I had some family in this area, so I was relatively familiar with the area, but not entirely," Goodlander said. "I saw the opportunity come up, and I reviewed the city's comprehensive plan, which is a strategic planning document for the city and where it thinks it is and where it wants to go. I was very impressed and saw that Fulshear was a place that seemed to have high standards as a community."
Mayor McCoy said Goodlander was among over 90 applicants for the job.
"You have to keep your eyes open," McCoy said. "You never know if Superman's going to apply. Let's hand it to the current city council and the city administration that we did our due diligence. We employed a search agency, and Mr. Goodlander went through the process."