Ex-Brentwood Asst. Fire Chief No Longer Works For City

The man who worked as Brentwood's assistant fire chief and building official is no longer employed by the city, City Administrator Bola Akande said on Wednesday.

Bob Kurtz's final day was Dec. 22. He worked for the city for more than 32 years.

Whether Kurtz resigned, retired or was terminated remains unknown. Many details about his departure were not made available to Patch because city officials can't comment on personnel matters, Akande said.

A call to Kurtz's home was not immediately returned on Wednesday afternoon.

Akande confirmed that Kurtz will receive earned benefits, including accrued sick leave pay, which suggests that Kurtz wasn't fired. The city usually doesn't pay out accrued benefits to "employees who are involuntarily terminated," notes the city's employee manual.

Kurtz's separation from the city comes just a few weeks after another high-profile departure. Former was asked to resign in December or face termination. That allowed her to keep her accrued benefits.

The Brentwood Board of Aldermen held a closed meeting on the day before Kurtz's departure to discuss a personnel matter, though no vote was taken and it's unknown if the meeting was related to Kurtz. Each alderman, Mayor Pat Kelly, Akande, the city's labor relations attorney and fire chief Ted Jury were all present for that meeting.

His departure from the city follows a span of several months when Kurtz faced scrutiny from some of his former colleagues.

Kurtz retired from the Brentwood Fire Department in July after city officials discovered unearned overtime pay. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the aldermen forced Kurtz and two other high-ranking officials to retire from the fire department after Kurtz told Brentwood detectives about the unearned pay.

Kurtz said he never approved any of the pay, the article notes.

The article also notes that 19 out of 20 firefighters sent a letter to the aldermen and Kelly stating a vote of no confidence in Kurtz if he were hired as chief.

Following his retirement from the fire department, Kurtz, who also had been working part-time as the city's building official, was hired full-time to that position instead.

At a closed meeting in June, the mayor recommended Kurtz's appointment and the aldermen approved it. Aldermen Andy Leahy (Ward 3) and Anthony Harper (Ward 2) both voted against the hire. Leahy declined to comment on the vote. Calls to Harper on Wednesday were not immediately returned.

In 2010, Kurtz's annual salary exceeded $175,000 for both positions he worked, stated Ellen Rottjakob, Brentwood's assistant city administrator, in an August email to Patch. Patch made a public records request earlier that summer while Rottjakob .

In 2011, he made more than $146,000 for both positions before retiring from the in July and accepting the full-time building official position.

After that, his annual salary dropped to $83,000 per year, and he was eligible to immediately collect an annual pension of $86,400, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in July.

What's next for the city

The position will remain open until filled, Akande said. A job advertisement have been posted to the city's website, among other places.

In the interim, a firm that contracts with the city will provide consulting services, Akande said.