Tarrant County

Longtime Tarrant County Administrator GK Maenius announces fall retirement

The departing county administrator is credited with being the impetus for collaboration in the county and for pushing to make county services and facilities available to residents away from downtown

Tarrant County, NBC 5 News

G.K. Maenius, the longtime chief administrative officer of Tarrant County, is stepping down this fall.

Maenius has been the county's first and only chief administrator since he joined the county more than 35 years ago. The county announced Thursday morning that Maenius intends to retire on Sept. 30 and then split time between his home in Tarrant County and his ranch in his hometown of Fredericksburg.

As the county's chief administrator, Maenius was charged with helping the Tarrant County Commissioners Court oversee county business. Since 1988, those responsibilities have grown to include managing an annual budget of more than $900 million and overseeing 4,600 county employees.

Over the last three-and-a-half decades Maenius has worked with county judges Roy English, Tom Vandergriff, Glen Whitley, and the recently-elected Tim O’Hare who described him as "a Tarrant County institution.”

“He is a man of the utmost integrity and is simply irreplaceable. He has faithfully served Tarrant County for over 35 years, leaving a lasting legacy of service to this amazing place we call home. We celebrate G.K. and his accomplishments. His retirement is well-earned," O’Hare said.

In a statement Thursday, the county credited Maenius as often being the impetus for collaboration with Tarrant County cities and businesses, from helping pave the way for Panther Island to playing an instrumental role in the partnership with the City of Fort Worth and Texas A&M in the development of the new downtown Fort Worth campus.

"He has shaped the County’s role in some of the biggest projects in Tarrant County, including AT&T Stadium, the Alliance corridor, and the expansion of the American Airlines headquarters," the county said.

County officials said Maenius pushed to make county services and facilities available to residents away from downtown, bringing county business "closer to home or online."

Announcing his upcoming retirement, the county said over the decades Maenius "has run an efficient, fiscally responsible operation. Tarrant County has consistently had one of the lowest property tax rates in the state. Compared to the largest counties in Texas, Tarrant County ranked among the lowest number of employees per capita."

“Everyone in Tarrant County owes G.K. a debt of gratitude for helping shape Tarrant County,” O’Hare said. “His leadership and experience will be missed. On behalf of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, past and present, thank you G.K. for a job well done.”

Tarrant County said Maenius is the longest-serving county administrator in Texas and is the only county administrator in Tarrant County history.

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