Kyle City Council recognized five city employees during its Feb. 17, 2026, meeting as the first recipients of the city’s Employee of the Quarter award.
The honorees were selected by their peers for exemplifying the City of Kyle’s newly adopted core values in their daily work serving residents. The five values, adopted by City Council in September 2025, are visionary leadership, integrity, accountability, transparency and teamwork.
The Quarter One recipients for Fiscal Year 2026 are:
- Officer Dago Pates of the Kyle Police Department
- Recognized for visionary leadership and his forward-thinking approach to serving the community.
- Officer James Plant of the Kyle Police Department
- Recognized for accountability and his strong commitment to public service and community events.
- Amy Caswell, the city’s Payroll Administrator
- Honored for integrity and her careful, ethical stewardship of the city’s payroll process.
- Kristen Lehtinen, Data Analyst from the Information Technology Department
- Honored for transparency in overseeing city data and ensuring accurate, accessible reporting.
- Ian McGuire, a Building Maintenance Specialist from Transportation and Public Works
- Recognized for teamwork during the recent library renovation project.
During the presentation, Julie Beggs, Director of Talent and Culture, said the awards reflect the city’s commitment to recognizing employees who live out its values.
“We have such exceptional talent at the city, and it’s an honor to take a moment and say thank you and share their contributions with the community,” Beggs said.
Mayor Yvonne Flores-Cale congratulated the group and emphasized the significance of peer recognition.
“You guys are what makes our city run,” she said. “This award is important because it’s not chosen by us. It’s chosen by your peers. And so that speaks volumes.”
The Employee of the Quarter program was created after months of employee discussion and feedback. City Council unanimously adopted both the recognition program and the city’s new core values on Sept. 16, 2025.
Each quarter, one employee is recognized for exemplifying one of the core values.
City leaders said they look forward to continuing the program throughout the fiscal year and celebrating the employees who help keep Kyle moving forward.
