Last week, the Dallas City Council adopted a resolution appointing Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, to the position of City Manager. Tolbert is the 19th city manager for the City of Dallas dating back to 1931. The resolution also approved the terms of her employment and authorized the execution of an Agreement of Employment.
This appointment follows a national search for Dallas’ City Manager, led by the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs, with Mayor Pro Tem Tenell Atkins as its Chair. She was selected as one of three finalists for the role and in addition to interviews, participated in three candidate community engagement events.
Tolbert was appointed Interim City Manager in May 2024. At that time, Tolbert proactively launched a 100-Day transition plan to address critical areas for process improvement and operational enhancements.
Some of her key successes within her first 100 days as Interim City Manager include delivering a balanced biennial FY 2024-25 budget with unanimous City Council Approval, cutting overall new construction commercial permitting median issuance time by 31%, restructuring the organizational chart to foster greater cross-departmental collaboration, consolidated multiple departments to enhance productivity, saving $13 million, and launched recruitment and retention incentives to enhance first responder competitiveness.
As Dallas’ City Manager, City Manager Tolbert will continue to oversee the City’s $5.2 billion budget and 13,000+ City of Dallas team members.
“I want to thank the City Council for their confidence in me to lead this City as we evolve on the world stage, with a thriving and inclusive community that sets the standard for excellence,” said Tolbert.
“I am certain that we can collectively achieve this through innovation, efficient government, and targeted economic growth. But we cannot do it alone, each of our stakeholders make Dallas extraordinary, and we are committed to continuing to foster trust by delivering on our promise of Service First, with the urgency of Now! Finally, I want to thank our talented City of Dallas team. Their passion and dedication have inspired me during my tenure as Interim City Manager and I am excited to build upon the momentum we have already achieved.”
In a statement following the vote, City of Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson said:
“I am proud to support Kimberly Bizor Tolbert as Dallas’ new city manager. As Interim City Manager for the past 10 months, Tolbert has streamlined city operations, improved government efficiency, reduced taxpayer waste, and delivered a budget with the largest single-year property tax rate reduction in Dallas history.”
“With Tolbert now serving in a permanent role, Dallas is poised to take full advantage of the opportunities before us as we continue to reduce the tax rate, enhance government efficiency and transparency, and keep the people of Dallas safe. Now, Dallas can take the next steps toward hiring permanent police and fire chiefs to strengthen our standing as the safest major city in America.”
“Lastly, I want to thank Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins for his leadership in guiding the selection process as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs,” added Mayor Johnson.
The appointment was effective January 23, 2025.
