Rusk Council Rehires Former City Manager Amid Audit Crisis

RUSK, Texas (TXAN 24) — The Rusk City Council approved a controversial move Tuesday, voting to temporarily rehire former City Manager Amanda Hill at $40 per hour to address ongoing financial issues that have left the city two years behind on required audits.

The decision comes after council members acknowledged the city is still dealing with the fallout from a mid-year financial system switch implemented during Hill’s previous tenure. That transition is now widely seen as a key factor in the audit backlog.

Current City Manager Bob Goldsberry is reportedly struggling to resolve the issue, prompting council members to bring Hill back on a temporary basis despite concerns about the decision.

Public comments during the meeting—focused on the financial system switch under Section 1-B—highlighted frustration and transparency issues. Citizens voiced concerns including, “There’s a problem bringing her back,” and “We should find someone else to step in on it,” while others noted the city’s audit delays and lack of access to information ahead of meetings.

Despite the pushback, the mayor defended the decision, saying, “I don’t care if she doesn’t produce a clean audit,” adding that rehiring Hill is “not something I really want to do,” but may be the only viable option to fix the situation.

Hill has since served in another city manager role elsewhere but is no longer in that position.

The temporary hire is intended to help Rusk regain compliance and stabilize its financial reporting moving forward.

This is a developing story, stay with TXAN 24 News for more updates.