Festus city officials have been busy filling jobs left vacant after Larry Crites, the longtime parks superintendent, died in April, and Matt Clemens, the public works director and building official, left in June for a new job in Sarasota County, Fla.
City Administrator Greg Camp said Josh Whaley, who had been the city’s water and sewer foreman, has taken over Crites’ old job, which has been renamed parks director.
Camp said the two jobs Clemens handled have been split up, and the building official job has been renamed building and planning director.
Mark Harris, who was the building department foreman, has been named building and planning director, but the public works director job has not been filled, Camp said July 29.
Whaley, who began work as the parks director in early July, is paid $29.10 an hour, and based on 40 hours a week, will make $60,528 a year. That’s the same pay he made as building department foreman, Festus officials reported.
Crites was being paid $31.09 per hour, or $64,667 a year.
Camp said Whaley was selected from among five “internal applicants” for the job.
“He’s been with the city since 2010,” Camp said.
Clemens was being paid $76,000 a year.
Harris, who became the new building and planning director on July 20, is paid $28.38 an hour, or $59,030 annually, Camp said.
Harris previously made $25.50 an hour, which is $53,040 a year based on a 40-hour work week.
“He was promoted from within,” Camp said. “He had been the building department foreman since 2016 and had worked for the city before that.”
Camp said he expects the public works director position to be filled by the end of August.
He also said the city won’t hire a replacement for the water/sewer foreman spot until after a new public works director is chosen.
City officials did not say how much the salary will be for the public works director or water/sewer foreman positions.