CITY OF KATY (Covering Katy News)—When Joey Killion was playing sports for the Katy Tigers, he never imagined that one day he would be helping to manage the city’s finances.
Today, Killion serves as the city’s financial manager. Reporting to Finance Administrator Andy Vasquez, he oversees the city’s financial operations, allowing Vasquez to focus more on the broader administrative responsibilities of his role.
“I was doing everything by myself,” Vasquez said. “I was the hands-on accountant and the decision-maker in a lot of situations. I was spreading myself really thin, and we were lucky to get Joey.”
Killion and Vasquez are part of a four-person finance team that supports every city department, from the newly established IT department to essential services like fire, police, and public works. The city has approximately 275 employees, according to Vasquez.
“We believe we have a strong team now, and my workload has eased to the point where I can look at the bigger picture rather than being tied to the computer, doing journal entries,” Vasquez said. “Joey will now oversee reporting and budgeting.”
Unlike many who have moved to Katy from elsewhere, Killion is a native of the city. He attended Katy High School, where he played football until his junior year when he decided to focus on soccer. By doing so, he missed being part of the 2007 state championship football team.
“Because I took that year off, I wasn’t going to be able to return to my defensive position at strong safety,” Killion said. “But fortunately, since I had been a kicker during my freshman and sophomore years, Coach Gary Joseph allowed me to come back and contribute to the kicking game. It was a great experience. I missed all the guys, and I really wanted to be part of that Katy tradition.”
Coach Joseph recalled Killion as a “great kid” and a valuable team player.
“It’s wonderful to see him achieving success,” Joseph said. “I think it’s a really neat thing.”
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Courtesy Joey Killion
Joey Killion performs kickoff duties at a Katy Tigers game.
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Courtesy Katy High School
Joey Killion as a member of the Katy High School soccer team.
After graduating from Katy High School in 2009, Killion attended the University of Dallas. Following college, he worked as a public sector auditor, examining the finances of various city, school district, and county governments. Through his audits of Katy’s city government, he became acquainted with Vasquez, City Administrator Byron Hebert, and other city staff.
“They are a great group of people,” Killion said. “When the position became available the first time because the previous finance manager was moving out of state, I turned it down because I wanted to stay another year in audit and work on getting my CPA, which I’m still pursuing. But when the position opened up again, I couldn’t turn it down a second time. I love this city, and being able to return to my hometown and contribute to its success was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Vasquez shared that his goal was to hire someone who could eventually succeed him in his role.
“My intention is to hire somebody to replace me,” Vasquez said. “If he moves beyond the finance director position, he’s got strong connections in the field of accounting, and we’ll bring someone in right behind him.”
Both Vasquez and Hebert are mentoring Killion to help him gain a broader understanding of the city’s operations. Hebert, who served as finance director before becoming city administrator in April 2014, occasionally brings Killion into meetings to expose him to different aspects of the role.
“Having him shadow Byron is incredibly beneficial,” Vasquez said. “Even if Joey ends up taking over for me instead of becoming the city administrator, he’ll have a better understanding of the decisions Byron has to make daily. Joey is a quick learner and is adapting well.”
Killion appreciates the collaborative atmosphere at City Hall, where everyone shares a commitment to serving the city and its residents.
“You can’t say that about a lot of other cities,” Killion said. “In many places, people are just looking out for themselves. But here, it’s genuine. Everyone is focused on making Katy better, whether through economic development, customer service, or utility billing. It’s all about the city.”