Show Notes
Michael Kovacs: Growth Isn't Free The Infrastructure Bill Your City Is Quietly Building Episode 398 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Sponsored by Tyler Technologies
Growth can look like success. New homes. New businesses. New roads. A growing tax base. But every piece of infrastructure a city builds today creates an obligation someone will have to pay for tomorrow. In this episode, Seth sits down with Michael Kovacs, City Manager of Fate, Texas, to talk about what it means to build a city that can actually afford its future. Michael shares lessons from a career that has taken him from a small, financially distressed border community to resort towns, coastal communities, disaster recovery in Galveston, and now one of the fastest-growing areas of North Texas. Along the way, he has developed a very different way of thinking about growth, development, infrastructure, and the long-term financial health of a city. Michael also shares hard-earned lessons from disaster recovery, including why local governments must be prepared to take ownership of the long road back after the immediate response is over. At the center of the conversation is a bigger question for every local government leader: Are we building communities that future generations can actually afford to maintain? Heading to ICMA in Long Beach? Michael will be part of the ICMA education session "Maintaining, Replacing, and Funding Roads: How Much Is Enough?" The session will explore the true long-term cost of maintaining and replacing municipal streets and how communities can begin preparing today for infrastructure expenses that may still be decades away. About Michael Kovacs Michael Kovacs is the City Manager of Fate, Texas, where he has served for more than a decade during a period of extraordinary community growth. His experience spans small-town administration, tourism and resort communities, rapid growth, emergency management, disaster recovery, infrastructure, development, and long-term municipal financial planning. Today, Michael is helping Fate think beyond the traditional suburban growth model by focusing on development patterns, infrastructure costs, fiscal sustainability, and what it will take to build a community where people can live for every stage of their lives. This Episode is Sponsored by: Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software and technology solutions built specifically for local government. From artificial intelligence and resident engagement to budgeting, planning, and public service delivery, Tyler helps communities operate more efficiently and serve residents more effectively. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC): Leadership shouldn't be carried alone. The MLDC is evolving in 2027 with practical leadership development and new, role-specific Mastermind cohorts designed to build trusted relationships with municipal leaders who understand your challenges. Mastermind applications are open now at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC Connect With Seth Winterhalter Seth Winterhalter is a keynote speaker, storyteller, and President of HaltingWinter, a national media company dedicated to telling the stories of local government. Through The HaltingWinter Podcast and the nationwide HaltingWinter Tour, he highlights the people and communities shaping America from the ground up, celebrating public servants, strengthening the profession, and inspiring the next generation to pursue lives of purpose and impact through local government. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com
More from The HaltingWinter Podcast
Matt Mueller: We Had to Reinvent Our City Every Four Years Leading Through Explosive Growth from 25,000 to 70,000 Residents Episode 401 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Sponsored by Tyler Technologies
Steve Mokrohisky: Culture Doesn't Care What You Say Why Behaviors Matter More Than Values Episode 400 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Sponsored by Tyler Technologies
Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week: Give and Take Episode 399 of The HaltingWinter Podcast This week in the MLDC, Seth Winterhalter breaks down Adam Grant's Give and Take, the research-backed case that how you handle reciprocity at work predicts success more than talent or effort alone. Grant's research reveals a surprising pattern: givers show up disproportionately among both the lowest and highest performers in any organization, while takers and matchers cluster safely in the middle. The difference isn't how much you give; it's whether you give with any judgment about your own limits. For local government leaders especially, this is something to be mindful of. Public service attracts givers by nature, which is a real strength, but also a real burnout risk. Seth unpacks why the leaders who last aren't the ones who give the most in any single crisis or budget cycle, and why one taker on your team can do two to three times more damage than a giver can offset. The MLDC Leadership in local government doesn't get easier as you move up. The decisions get harder. The expectations get higher. And the number of people you can openly process those challenges with gets smaller. The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) gives local government leaders a place to keep growing alongside other professionals who understand the complexity of leading in local government. Inside the MLDC, you'll sharpen how you think, strengthen how you lead, and turn leadership ideas into practical action through: • Monthly Mastermind Sessions with municipal leaders from across North America • Leadership Development built specifically around the realities of local government • Practical Tools & Resources you can immediately apply with your team and organization • Ongoing Learning designed to keep you growing throughout the year You spend every day developing your organization, your employees, and your community. The MLDC is an investment in developing you. → Explore the Municipal Leadership Development Circle: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc/ Connect With Seth Winterhalter Seth Winterhalter is a keynote speaker and President of HaltingWinter, a national media company dedicated to telling the stories of local government. Through The HaltingWinter Podcast and the nationwide HaltingWinter Tour, he highlights the people and communities shaping America from the ground up, celebrating public servants, strengthening the profession, and inspiring the next generation to pursue lives of purpose and impact through local government. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com
Deborah Stuart: Are You Developing Leaders or Just Promoting Employees? Rethinking the Leadership Pipeline in Local Government
Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week: The Motive Episode 396 of The HaltingWinter Podcast This week in the MLDC, Seth Winterhalter explores The Motive by Patrick Lencioni, a leadership fable built around two rival CEOs, one struggling and one quietly thriving, and the uncomfortable conversation that reveals why. Lencioni draws a sharp distinction between leaders who take the top job as a reward for hard work, and leaders who take it as a responsibility to do the difficult, unglamorous work their organization actually needs. Seth breaks down why this question hits differently for local government leaders than it does in the private sector, as many city managers, county administrators, and department heads didn't arrive in leadership through pure ambition, but through tenure, reliability, or simply being next in line. That path makes it easy to never stop and ask which motive is actually driving you. Inside MLDC this week, members are working through five specific takeaways from the book and applying them to their local government context. The MLDC Leadership in local government doesn't get easier as you move up. The decisions get harder. The expectations get higher. And the number of people you can openly process those challenges with gets smaller. The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) gives local government leaders a place to keep growing alongside other professionals who understand the complexity of leading in local government. Inside the MLDC, you'll sharpen how you think, strengthen how you lead, and turn leadership ideas into practical action through: • Monthly Mastermind Sessions with municipal leaders from across North America • Leadership Development built specifically around the realities of local government • Practical Tools & Resources you can immediately apply with your team and organization • Ongoing Learning designed to keep you growing throughout the year You spend every day developing your organization, your employees, and your community. The MLDC is an investment in developing you. → Explore the Municipal Leadership Development Circle: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc/ Connect With Seth Winterhalter Seth Winterhalter is a keynote speaker and President of HaltingWinter, a national media company dedicated to telling the stories of local government. Through The HaltingWinter Podcast and the nationwide HaltingWinter Tour, he highlights the people and communities shaping America from the ground up, celebrating public servants, strengthening the profession, and inspiring the next generation to pursue lives of purpose and impact through local government. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com