The city of Festus will soon have a new Public Works director.
Michael Christopher, 33, of Crystal City has been hired to replace previous Public Works Director Matt Unrein, whose last day with the city was Feb. 12. Unrein resigned to take a job as assistant city manager for the city of Columbia.
Christopher, who had been working as a construction engineer at Spire Inc., will start his new job with Festus on April 1, Festus City Administrator Greg Camp said.
Christopher will be paid a starting annual salary of $95,000. Unrein’s ending annual salary at Festus was $101,000, Camp added.
He said Christopher, a Jefferson County native, graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School in Crystal City. He also graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, where he majored in engineering.
Before his job at Spire, Christopher worked as an engineering technician for the city of Shawnee; as an assistant Public Works director and acting city engineer for the city of Belton and as a project manager at the Jefferson County Public Works Department, Camp said.
He said the city received applications from 17 for the job, and five were interviewed, after which the interview panel unanimously chose to extend Christopher the job offer.
Camp said Christopher’s local connection, combined with his education and his previous experience, put him ahead of the other candidates.
“He’s used to being out in the field. He’s used to being on hand with projects. He knows how municipal operations work. And having that engineering expertise really was like the total package,” Camp said. “He really impressed us in the interview with a lot of his answers and with a lot of his questions, as well.”
Some of Christopher’s responsibilities will include overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Public Works Department; overseeing utility billing functions for the city; providing all reporting for state and federal compliance; attending City Council meetings as needed; preparing all bid specifications and making recommendations for selection; advising the city administrator and City Council on all Public Works matters; and serving as a member of the Twin City Levee.
Christopher said he is excited to start his new job.
“(Festus) has a lot of similarities to previous cities I’ve worked in, so it feels somewhat familiar and new at the same time,” he said.
“I feel like I can bring a lot of improvements that were made in other places I’ve worked here to Festus.”