Haltom City manager to retire after more than 3 decades in public service
City manager Keith Lane is retiring in January, but he’s not leaving Haltom City.
Lane, 55, said he came to Haltom City in 2009 to become police chief. He was named city manager in 2016.
“After 33 years in city government, it’s time to move on…” Lane said. “This is a great community; I’ve built lots of good friendships here.”
Lane’s last day is Jan. 31, and assistant city manager Rex Phelps will take the top job Feb. 1.
“I tried to talk Keith out of leaving. He’s a great person, but once his mind is made up, he doesn’t change it,” Phelps said.
“I’m honored and humbled that they (the city council) wanted me to carry the torch,” he said.
Phelps plans to continue working on economic development initiatives and building relationships in the city.
Mayor An Truong said Lane always kept his door open when people had questions.
“This is a big loss for us because of the relationship between Keith and the city council. Keith has a big heart,” Truong said.
Before coming to Haltom City as police chief in 2009, Lane worked his way up the ranks as a Keller police officer and spent 22 years with the department.
Phelps was also a Keller police officer, and the two became friends. In fact, Phelps was Lane’s supervisor for about six years when he was a lieutenant and Lane was a sergeant.
When he served as police chief, Lane focused on bringing down the crime rate and building relationships with residents.
When he became city manager, Lane brought Phelps on board as assistant city manager to focus on economic development projects.
As he prepares to retire, Lane said he feels good about the growth and economic development in Haltom City which took off after the North Tarrant Express was completed, opening up vacant land for new homes, apartments, hotels and restaurants.
Haltom City is dissected by a number of major highways, including U.S. 377, Loop 820, Texas 121 and the North Tarrant Express. Lane said he plans to finish his Master’s degree in public administration, but doesn’t know what he will do after that.