After a two-month search, Byrnes Mill city officials have hired a new city administrator.
Adam Thompson, currently the city manager of Bowling Green, Fla., a community of approximately 2,000 in Hardee County, will officially begin his duties as city administrator of Byrnes Mill on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Byrnes Mill had a population of about 3,170 according to the 2020 Census.
The Byrnes Mill Board of Alderpersons voted 5-0 during a Nov. 16 closed meeting to hire Thompson. He will be paid a $92,000 annual salary.
Thompson is replacing former City Administrator Debbie LaVenture, who retired in March and was being paid $64,500.
The city had hired Mary Holden, who previously worked for Arnold as a community development director before leaving for a job in Florida, to replace LaVenture. Holden was being paid $90,000 and started working remotely for Byrnes Mill in May and resigned in August, the month she was supposed to start working in person.
City Attorney Allison Sweeney has been handling the city administrator duties since then, and the city was paying LaVenture $75 an hour to work one day a week as a consultant.
Byrnes Mill received applications from between 30 and 40 people for the job and narrowed the field down to eight or nine, and then four, Mayor Robert Kiczenski said.
He said Thompson was invited to visit Byrnes Mill a few weeks ago for an in-person meeting, after which the final decision was made to hire him.
“We look forward to Adam coming aboard and seeing what he can do for the city of Byrnes Mill,” Kiczenski said.
Some of Thompson’s duties will include acting as a purchasing agent for the city; putting together the annual budget; processing financial reports and an annual report; helping to implement policies; overseeing boards and committees; and acting as the personnel officer for the city.
Thompson, 41, said he is looking forward to the opportunity.
He referred to himself as “a money man” with a knack for finding funds in governmental systems without having to fire anyone or cut services.
Thompson has a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on human resources and business administration and a master’s degree in business administration from Kaiser University in Lakeland, Fla.
He worked for a year and a half as the city manager of Bowling Green, Fla., and before that, he worked for the Polk County Florida Public School System, helping to disburse federal dollars through the district.
One of the successes Thompson listed during his time with the Bowling Green included helping to revitalize the city’s sanitation system, moving accounts from the red into the black.
“We purchased a new truck and then switched to one-day-a-week pickup, and that turned out to be a good fix,” he said. “We were able to take the number of employees needed to do the job from three to one, which also saved the city money on liability insurance.”
Also during his tenure in Bowling Green, Thompson said an older structure was remodeled and converted into a new community building, providing another revenue stream for the city.
Thompson, who has lived in the Sunshine State all his life, said he is happy to move to Missouri because he’s not really a fan of Florida anymore, especially considering all the hurricanes.
He said one of the most recent ones, Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28, damaged his community.
Thompson also said that ever since spending some time in Kentucky years ago, he has been hoping to move north.
“I actually like colder weather,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a fan of having all seasons. Byrnes Mill seems great because it’s a small town, but it’s still only 30 minutes or so away from St. Louis. So, I get to have that small-town feel, while still being close enough to enjoy some night life.”
Thompson also said he loves to travel and being part of the St. Louis metro region will allow him a chance to visit Chicago for the first time, as well as the Missouri Ozarks and the city of Springfield.
He said won’t be coming to Missouri alone. He has two children reaching adulthood, and his daughter, who’s 18 and a high school senior, will move with him. His son is 19 years old and just began college in Florida, where he will remain.