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The Weimar city council officially voted in Donald Dixson at a special meeting held April 21, as the new city manager for the town.
The appointment comes following the resignation of former city manager Richard Whitten, who resigned after he and the council were unable to negotiate a new contract and terms of payment.
Dixson comes into the position fresh from a move from big city Dallas, where he recently lived and worked as an Assistant Director/Deputy Building Official of Development Services for the city.
Prior to his stint in Dallas, he spent time in Grapevine as an Assistant Building Official and was shortly after promoted to Building Official, he also spent more than 12 years in Fort Worth with code enforcement and development services and was the Chief Building Official for the city of Roanoke, overseeing the city’s growth with over 5,800 residents moving to the town in his time.
After growing tired of the “big city rat race,” Dixson began looking into new positions in smaller areas when the city of Weimar came across his radar. He says he looks forward to taking on the new position in stride and is confident in the vast amount of experience he will bring in his new role for the historic German town.
“I’m really heavy on experience,” said Dixson. “Anything from planning and zoning to plan review, permitting, inspections, building conversions, building reuse, urban plat and abatement. I have three state licenses, one for accessibility, one for plumbing inspections and one for code enforcement. I also have 11 certifications with the International Code Council.”
Dixson isn’t just a man stuck in his work. He says he is very happily married to his wife of three years after meeting at a church following both of their divorces, coincidentally coinciding in November 2017. He is also an avid gardener, lover of the outdoors, golf enthusiast and a handyman when needed.
“I enjoy working with the intricacies of life,” said Dixson. “I took a Gallup personality test, and it showed that I am very strategically, analytically and solutions oriented. That is one of the things that makes me great for this position here in the city of Weimar. It’s going to be challenging, but I have to plan my strategies, do a lot of analysis and find solutions.”
Ultimately, Dixson wants to make an impact on his city colleagues and employees to equip them with the best tools necessary to thrive and wants to tap into Weimar’s resources to bring revenue generation for residents and the community.
“I’m here for the city employees and to make their jobs easier,” said Dixson. “To equip them with every tool that they need in their toolbox so they can effectively and efficiently do their jobs. I will work for the citizens, council and the city in general. I want to use revenue generation to make money, it takes money to make money. In order to do that, we have to find resources in Weimar that have been untapped. With better revenue we’ll be able to do more with what we have.”
