Princeton City Manager Resigns, Council Orders Drainage Study and Billing Review

Princeton City Council on December 8 unanimously accepted the voluntary resignation of City Manager Mike Mashburn, a decision publicly confirmed on December 11. The council also authorized Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. to negotiate with former Sunnyvale town manager Jeff Jones as an alternate city manager, signaling the start of a managed transition in city leadership.

The meeting included several other personnel changes. Assistant City Manager Fred Gibbs, who had served as interim manager while Mashburn was on leave, submitted his resignation. City staff member Allison Cook remains on staff. Mashburn had been hired in January 2024 after prior municipal roles, and his tenure drew criticism from some residents and council members over the handling of wastewater billing.

Council members ordered a citywide drainage study to identify priority projects and to guide future capital planning. The study is intended to map problem areas, assess flood risk, and recommend engineering and maintenance steps. For residents in neighborhoods prone to street flooding or backyard runoff, the study could lead to targeted projects and potential funding requests in future budgets.

On wastewater billing the council took steps to reimplement winter quarter averaging known as WQA. The policy was first approved in 2023 but was quietly repealed in September 2024. That repeal resulted in nearly one million dollars in refunds to customers when bills were adjusted. Reimplementation of winter quarter averaging would change the way residential wastewater usage is averaged for billing during lower use months, which could affect individual customer charges and the utility’s revenue forecasting.

The council emphasized continuity of essential services while leadership changes proceed. Authorizing the mayor to negotiate with an experienced manager from nearby Sunnyvale aims to minimize disruption to city operations and ongoing projects. Residents concerned about upcoming billing changes, drainage priorities, or city management continuity are advised to follow city council updates and to consult the Princeton Herald digital and print editions for further coverage and detailed meeting minutes.