HOUSTON — Changes are coming to the City of Houston's leadership team after Mayor John Whitmire sent a letter to City Council members announcing that he had accepted the resignation of Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock.
Haddock wasn't there Wednesday to give a scheduled presentation on the water bill issue during a City Council meeting. Instead, Houston Public Works Chief Operating Officer Randy Macchi provided the update.
In the letter sent to council members, Whitmire also announced that Macchi "will continue to oversee department non-engineering decision-making."
Editor's note: A previous version of this article reported that Haddock had retired based on the language in a letter sent by Whitmire. The City later corrected the language and said Haddock had actually resigned.
KHOU 11 News asked the mayor's office if Haddock was forced out. A spokesperson said they weren't aware if that was the case but did say Whitmire was "ready to move in a different direction."
He also said Richard Smith will serve as the Interim Director of Houston Public Works and the City Engineer and "will oversee all engineering-related decision-making."
Whitmire said they'll begin a search for replacements in the coming days. He also included this about Haddock: "Over the past 18 years, Carol Haddock has been a dedicated public servant. I extend my appreciation for her service to the City of Houston and wish her the best in her future endeavors."
As for the water plan update, Macchi told council members that other changes include improved customer service for people who need billing help as well as a change in the color of the bill people will receive next month. It's an effort to better inform people that changes are underway.
While Public Works says the fast pace of device replacement is good news, they worry about another summer with extreme temperatures and other severe weather threats.
“We're pacing ahead of schedule, but we also know that we need to make sure that we have some weeks where we're ahead of schedule because summer weather can be unpredictable, particularly as we get into hurricane season,” Macchi said. “So we're trying to be as expeditious as we possibly can.”
As part of the plan, single-family homes will be charged on a 3,000-gallon average usage. That will be reflected in the bills they receive in May.