Troy Schulte will start new Jackson County job one week after leaving city post
Troy Schulte will start work Dec. 9 as Jackson County administrator, a week after he plans to leave a similar position as Kansas City manager.
County legislators voted 5-3 Monday to approve a two-year employment agreement that will pay Schulte $220,000 annually, equal to what he earned as the top un-elected official at City Hall. His benefits include an $800-a-month car allowance and $55 a month to help cover his cell phone bill.
Schulte will report to County Executive Frank White, but says he has plans to consult closely with the county legislature.
Legislators Ron Finley, Jalen Anderson and Jeanie Lauer voted against the contract. All expressed concerns at last week’s regular meeting that there was no written job description for the newly created position. White’s administration shared a draft job description with legislators last week. The employment agreement is conditioned on Schulte and White completing a final description by Dec. 31.
Legislator Theresa Galvin, Crystal Williams, Scott Burnett, Dan Tarwater and Charlie Franklin voted for the contract. Tony Miller was absent.
Schulte, 49, announced in September that he would retire from his city job at the end of February after 10 years overseeing all city operations. White recruited him to run the day-to-day business of county government and tackle big projects, such as construction of a new jail and a plan for the 2021 real estate reassessment.
Previously, those duties were split between a chief administrative officer and a chief operations officer. The man who held the latter position retired last summer. Chief administrative officer Ed Stoll will report to Schulte.
Some titles and lines of authority could change after Schulte reorganizes county government to his liking, with legislative approval.
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 11:30 AM.
