Some people enter your professional orbit and change its trajectory. For us, Robert Hanna is one of those people.
When Patrick and Chad were still figuring out how to read a balance sheet without breaking into a cold sweat, Robert was the city manager who gave us a shot. He didn’t just teach us the mechanics of public finance; he showed us what leadership in local government could look like at its best: principled, people-first, and relentlessly practical. If you’ve spent time in Texas city management circles, you already know Robert’s reputation. He’s as respected for his results as he is for his mentorship, and was recently recognized by TCMA for exactly that.
Which is why today’s announcement feels a little like coming full circle. We’re thrilled to share that Robert is joining ZacTax as President of our newly created Strategic Services division.
Why strategic services, and why now?
When we launched ZacTax, it was a single product: a sales tax analytics platform that helped cities understand their revenue picture in real time. Over the years, that narrow tool grew into something bigger. We added property tax analytics. We added ZacFinance to support entire finance departments. We created ZacPlan to help planners and economic development teams navigate the messy, overlapping worlds of growth, incentives, and land use.
Each step followed a simple pattern: cities kept asking us harder questions, and we wanted to be the ones to help answer them.
Strategic Services is the next evolution of that pattern. It’s designed for the moments that don’t fit neatly into a dashboard or spreadsheet: leadership transitions, long-range visioning, council-manager dynamics, crises that shake public trust.
These are the challenges that can define a city’s future, and they’re the ones that often leave managers feeling like they’re on an island.
Robert's Role
Robert has spent two decades in the city manager’s chair. He’s led through financial crises, pandemics and natural disasters, political firestorms, and everything in between. He knows firsthand that the hardest problems rarely come with playbooks, and that clarity is often the first casualty in a crisis. As President of Strategic Services, he’ll lead a team built to provide that clarity, bringing together our finance, planning, and analytics expertise into a single, integrated offering for city leaders.
In Robert’s words: “I’m excited to lead a team that’s focused on tackling the real-world challenges local government leaders face every day. At ZacTax, we’re not just talking about solutions. We’re building them alongside you.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Robert Hanna to lead this new division,” said Patrick Lawler, Co-founder and CEO of ZacTax. “His experience and leadership reflect our commitment to providing thoughtful, strategic support to local government leaders across the country.”
Chad Janicek, Co-founder and CTO of ZacTax, added: “This division is built for cities that aren’t afraid to take on the toughest issues, from personnel and leadership alignment to governance dynamics and crisis management. We’re here to help cities lead with clarity and confidence.”
What will we offer?
Strategic Planning
- Development of long-term strategic plans aligned with community goals
- Facilitation of visioning workshops, leadership retreats, and strategy sessions
- Stakeholder engagement, including surveys, focus groups, and interviews
- Performance measurement frameworks and implementation roadmaps
Organizational Assessments & Optimization
- Evaluation of departmental structures, staffing, and workflows
- Recommendations for improving efficiency, accountability, and service delivery
- Culture and values alignment initiatives
- Leadership development and succession planning
Economic Development Strategy
- Market analysis and feasibility studies
- Public-private partnership structuring
- Incentive policy development and negotiation suppoert
- Downtown revitalization and corridor planning
- Qualified Hotel Developments
Capital Improvement & Financial Planning
- Long-range financial forecasting
- Capital Improvement Program (CIP) development
- Budget alignment with strategic priorities
- Alternative revenue strategies
Executive Leadership Services
- Council-Manager dynamics
- Senior leadership assistance (hiring, aligning, rewarding)
- Compensation and classification
- Project specific services
And much, much more. Put simply, it's about helping cities face their toughest challenges with clarify and confidence, no matter what you might be facing.
A Full-Circle Moment
For our leadership team, this announcement isn’t just about organizational growth. It’s about gratitude. The same person who helped launch our careers is now helping launch ZacTax’s next chapter. It feels right.
We’re building Strategic Services for cities that want to do big things, and need a trusted partner walking alongside them. With Robert’s leadership, we’re ready to do just that.