Parkville now has a new city administrator after the board of aldermen voted on Tuesday to hire Shannon Thompson.
The board voted to hire Thompson, who is the former city administrator of Monmouth, Ill. Thompson said she worked at the city for seven years and spent one year prior in Peoria Heights, Ill.
In advance of Tuesday night’s meeting, Gerry Richardson, mayor, said he had discussed the terms of employment with Thompson, and the actual contract terms were approved on Tuesday night. The Landmark broke the story of Thompson’s pending hire at plattecountylandmark.com last week.
Thompson was hired with a salary of $75,000 as well as a $420 monthly car allowance and $5,000 to cover moving expenses.
In a phone interview with The Landmark, Thompson said that in Monmouth she had an annual salary of $65,215.
Thompson said her husband works for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and they chose to relocate to Parkville because they like the area. Thompson has three children and will move to Parkville around Nov. 10.
David Olson, interim city administrator, will continue to work for the city, with fewer hours, according to Richardson. Richardson said Olson would also help continue the city’s search for a new police chief to replace the retiring Bill Hudson.
According to a press release from Parkville, Thompson has over eight years of experience managing cities around the size of Parkville. She has a Masters degree in political science with emphasis in public administration from Western Illinois University.
According to records from Monmouth, a new city administrator was hired on Oct. 15, 2007. The new administrator, Eric Hanson, was hired on Oct. 15, according to the city’s minutes. Thompson told The Landmark that her employment contract was up and that she decided it was time to relocate at that time.
In 2000, Monmouth’s population was 9,841 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Monmouth is located on the west side of the state, west of Peoria and south of Davenport, Iowa.
The press release from Parkville states Monmouth has a budget of $23 million and has 58 full-time and 30 part-time employees.
Parkville’s population in 2000 was 4,059, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The previous city administrator for Parkville was Joe Turner, who resigned in April. Turner made a salary of more than $85,000.
Thompson told The Landmark she is excited about her hiring and said she looks forward to meeting with residents and the media.
Comparatively, Platte City hired Jason Metten in September to replace Keith Moody. Metten was hired with a salary of $75,000 and Moody had been making around $73,000.
Moody recently was hired at the city of Harrisonville at an annual salary of $92,000.