Outgoing KC City Manager Troy Schulte may be poised to take Jackson County post
Kansas City’s outgoing City Manager, Troy Schulte, has apparently reached a deal to become the new Jackson County administrator, according to a resolution on file with the County Legislature.
The legislation, sponsored by Theresa Galvin, would authorize County Executive Frank White to execute an employment agreement for Schulte. The legislature is expected to vote on the issue Monday.
According to documents in the legislature’s packet for the meeting, Schulte will earn far more than other high-ranking county employees. His contract, which would expire at the end of 2021, pays him $220,000 annually. White makes $149,718.
Schulte would report to White, who for nearly all of his four years as county executive has been at odds with the legislature over everything from the jail to the use of county funds to the controversial reassessment process that has some people worried they will lose their homes to higher taxes.
Schulte was not immediately available for comment on Friday. But in a Facebook Live interview with The Star on Wednesday, he said that in the new job, he would take on some “sizable projects,” including a potential new jail, fixing the reassessment process and addressing the declining courthouse building. But he said it would not be a long-term position.
“If I’m there 10 years, something’s gone wrong,” he said.
The role Schulte takes would also be somewhat of a bridge between White and the legislature, he said.
In a statement, Galvin said she had been assured Schulte’s position would replace three existing county jobs, two of which are already vacant. The third staffer, Chief of Health Services Jaime Masters, is expected to leave in December for another job.
“I believe with his knowledge and experience he will be an asset to the County and we will finally be able to move forward in a positive direction. I look forward to working with Mr. Schulte,” Galvin said.
The legislature packet says White is expected to appoint Schulte to the role no later than the end of this year, meaning Schulte could leave his post at City Hall far sooner than expected. But Schulte said in the Wednesday interview that he hoped to stay until the end of his contract. Schulte announced in September that he would retire when it expires Feb. 29.
Mayor Quinton Lucas could not be immediately reached for comment Friday afternoon.
A spokeswoman for White declined to comment because the agreement has not yet been approved by the legislature.
In his new job, Schulte would have to be on call and would be granted a county vehicle for both official and private use, with the car payment, insurance, maintenance and all operating expenses paid for by the county. The document does not spell out his paid time off allowance.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 1:49 PM.
