Chief Information Officer reaches resignation agreement with city

City Chief Information Officer Pete Collins resigned from his post Wednesday, accepting nearly $66,000 from the city as the result of an agreement signed by City Manager Marc Ott. As part of that agreement, Collins promised not to make any statements “either publicly or to other employees of the City of Austin, regarding the circumstances of his resignation.”

 

Collins had been on administrative leave since mid-June when the city began to investigate allegations that have not been made public.

 

The check Collins received Wednesday represents the value of three months base salary plus 366 hours of accrued vacation, according to the city’s Public Information Office. The Travis County District Attorney’s office investigated unspecified allegations against Collins and concluded that they did not warrant prosecution in July.

 

The city’s Public Information Office said the city administrative review of Collins’ work would end with the resignation. City Auditor Steve Morgan said his office had not completed its investigation but “we’re in the final phases of assessing information on the case.” Although Morgan expects the case to end soon, he said it is possible he would be recommending additional purchasing controls.

 

Ott said in a prepared statement, “The resignation allows the City to move forward on vital technology projects without the uncertainty for employees of what will happen next. Mr. Collins’ decision puts an end to this personnel issue.”

 

The city will conduct a national search to find a new Chief Information Officer. Collins, who began as a police officer, had been with the city since 1993 and became Chief Information Officer in 2004. Linda Pounds-Adams is the Acting Chief Information Officer.