Platte City is in the market for a new city parks and recreation director.
According to closed session minutes from the Tuesday, Aug. 28 meeting, the board of aldermen voted to terminate William ‘Dannie’ Stamper effective 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29.
The board voted 6-0 to terminate Stamper, as well as passing a 6-0 vote to contract a forensic attorney to investigate parks transactions with all present and past staff or any official that may have knowledge related to parks transactions.
The news of the votes became public Friday afternoon after the 72-hour statutory waiting period had closed.
City administrator DJ Gehrt confirmed on Tuesday that Stamper exercised his seven-day appeal window in regard to the firing. He will now take his case to the board of aldermen, though whether the hearing will be in open session — the next board meeting is set for Sept. 25 — in a closed session or a special session is not known.
In in the interim, public works director Kenny Loy will be serving as parks and recreation director, while having a maintenance employee assigned to help cover any needs required for the parks portion of the Stamper’s old job. Stamper’s other job was overseeing the recreation department, ran by Travis Anderson.
He has since shifted his office from the Civic Center to city hall to work closely with Gehrt, if the need arises.