CITY OF KATY (Covering Katy News)—The Katy City Council Monday renewed City Administrator Byron Hebert's contract with the city through September 2028 and appointed Joey Killion as assistant city administrator. Hebert said he plans to focus on completing the Katy Boardwalk Project and improving mobility around the city during his three-year contract extension.
"I'm excited," Hebert said. "There are some things that I really want to make sure I complete before the three years are up."
"I've always wanted that boardwalk to get going and started," Hebert said. "That's a big thing for me. The other thing is we've done so much in our mobility projects. I really want to see some of these finish up and get going. ARKK Engineers has done a great job. We just have a lot of mobility projects. We're just trying to get traffic moving as best as possible."
Progress on the boardwalk project, an 80-acre site set on Kingsland Boulevard across from Katy Mills Mall, continues to move forward. Hebert said there is activity out there, yet some are looking for the yet-to-be-constructed conference center and hotel.
"We're still working through that," Hebert said. "We're still working with our developer. We're still trying to get the numbers right. We're still trying to get the packages put together and the right developers working on this."
Mayor Dusty Thiele said he told Hebert that he wanted him to continue as administrator.
"He really had no choice," Thiele told the council. "I told him if I was running for mayor again, he had to serve another three years because he was going to retire. So you can all actually thank me for him sticking around."
Under the contract, the annual base salary is $220,000, with a $600 monthly car allowance. Two city sources said the city administrator's contract typically runs about three months after a mayoral election. In this way, a newly elected or reelected mayor can evaluate the situation after taking office and move to make changes if deemed necessary. The city administrator, police chief and fire chief are nominated by the mayor and approved by the council, but the positions report directly to the mayor.
Thiele is term limited and will leave office in May 2028, so the new mayor can persuade Hebert to continue at that time or the city could move in another direction.
Hebert was appointed city administrator in 2014 after serving as finance director. He has served under four mayors: Fabol Hughes, Chuck Brawner, Bill Hastings and Thiele.
Joey Killion Named Assistant City Administrator
In other action Monday, the council appointed Joey Killion as assistant city administrator, bringing a familiar face into city leadership. Killion previously worked in the city's finance department and had been performing audits of the city for several years before joining city government.
The Katy High School graduate, who Covering Katy profiled in September 2024, brings valuable institutional knowledge to his new role. Hebert said Killion's auditing experience provided an advantage, as he already understood City Hall operations before officially joining the team.
Technology Upgrade Project Assigned to New Assistant
Among Killion's first major responsibilities will be overseeing the implementation of a new accounting software system across all city departments. The project represents a significant technological advancement for the municipality.
"Joey's going to spearhead that," Hebert said. "He's going to lead that and then take that project. It's kind of interesting. When I came in 2000, I helped the city go from DOS to Windows."
Hebert reflected on the parallels between his own early career and Killion's current situation, noting how both involved major technology transitions. While the city now has a dedicated IT department with its own director, the challenge of keeping pace with technological advancement remains constant.
"It's interesting that he will be coming in about the same time we need to put in the new software," Hebert said.
City Officials Praise New Hire
Finance Director Andy Vasquez expressed confidence in the appointment, citing his professional relationship with Killion from the auditing days. He praised both Killion's qualifications and his connection to the community.
"He's a home grown Katy boy," Vasquez said. "He is very intelligent, and he has a really good work ethic. We were very lucky to be able to get him."
Vasquez noted that Killion's former auditing firm was understanding about his departure for the city position, demonstrating the professional respect he had earned in his previous role.
The appointment concluded with a light-hearted moment during the swearing-in ceremony. Before City Secretary Becky McGrew administered the oath, Mayor Thiele pointed out an amusing coincidence: he, Hebert, and Killion were all wearing nearly identical outfits of khaki pants, light blue dress shirts, and sport coats adorned with Katy city seal lapel pins.
"It was their uniform," Thiele said later, acknowledging the unplanned coordination.