New Finance Director Hired

CEDAR PARK, TX -- City Council members have approved the hiring of a new finance director after conducting a national search to fill the slot.

In his new role, Kent Meredith will oversee a pair of municipal budgets, the city’s $42.6 million general fund and its $34.7 million utility fund. As finance director, he will oversee a 17-employee staff working at the Finance Department and Utility Billing Office.

A San Antonio native, Meredith most recently served as finance director in Town of Jackson, Wyoming, a position he held since 2012. Past experience includes a stint as finance manager at Phoenix suburb Peoria, Arizona, where he worked from 2007-12.

‘’I’m very excited for the opportunity,” Meredith said in a prepared statement. “I’m just looking forward to getting back to Texas. I have family all over Texas, and it’s really where I always thought I would end up.”

Before issuing a press advisory on the hiring, city spokeswoman Jennie Huerta said Meredith also expressed relief at escaping from the harsh Wyoming winter. In coming back to Texas, he leaves below-zero temperatures for the moderate Central Texas winter.

Meredith also has a military background, having retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force in 2007, where he served in various budgeting and finance positions in a 24-year military career. He earned a master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s in business administration from Texas State University.

Meredith replaces Joseph Gonzales, who took a job at the City of Austin water utility in July. Aaron Rector, an assistant finance director, had been filling in as interim finance director since that time.

Assistant City Manager Katherine Caffrey noted the diversity in Meredith’s background, saying it made him stand out among applicants who had sought the position.

“It is quite unusual to find a CPA with a master’s in human relations, so we felt like we were finding a gem with Kent Meredith,” she said in a prepared statement. ”The common theme we heard during the selection process was Kent’s high ethical standards, commitment to accuracy and his ability to work well with governing bodies, staff and senior leadership.”