The search by Festus officials to find a replacement for departing City Administrator Greg Camp has been extended to March 13.
Camp’s last day on the job will be Friday, Feb. 20. He has accepted a job as town manager at Silverthorne, Colo.
City officials initially set an application deadline of Jan. 30. Camp said the city received 12 applications by the original deadline of Jan. 30.
“We want to have a bigger field (of applicants),” Mayor Sam Richards said Monday, Feb. 9.
Initially, Richards said he hoped to have Camp’s successor in place to have the new person work with Camp for one or two weeks before he left, but that did not happen.
Camp has been the Festus city administrator since 2017.
Richards said he has no new target in mind to choose the next Festus city administrator.
“No, I don’t,” he said. “I just want to try to have it filled as soon as we can.”
He said Public Works Director Michael Christopher will take over the city administrator duties when Camp leaves.
“We’re going to make Michael Christopher interim city administrator,” Richards said. “He’ll continue to do his public works duties.”
Richards said council members have not yet discussed if Christopher will receive a raise during the time he is interim city manager.