City Manager Mike Matthes said he fired Columbia Emergency Management Director Zim Schwartze as part of a plan to save millions of dollars in budget revenue.
Matthes fired Schwartze on Wednesday after she gave more than 20 years of public service to Columbia.
Schwartze was the master of ceremonies for the retirement reception of joint communications worker Donna Hargis. Schwartze became emotional during the goodbye ceremony, but did not say anything about the departure from her job. Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine took time out from the ceremony to praise Schwartze for her public service. Emergency Management Official Joe Piper is replacing Schwartze. Piper said her departure could not have come at a worse time.
Piper said, “One person will be doing what three people were doing. We’re going to try and fill that position as quickly as we can. It’s going to take time to get that person trained and up to speed on what they need to be doing.”
Schwartze made $141,000 a year in salary and benefits. Matthes said Schwartze was too expensive for her position, a position he eliminated.
Matthes said, “We still have $2.3 million to squeeze out of the general fund budget. This action is purely a budget move. Joint Communication had this situation that creates that gap.”
Matthes said Schwartze’s firing will not change emergency services including 911 calls.
Schwartze moved from the Columbia Police Department to Emergency Management in 2009.
She started with the police department in 1991 and rose through the ranks to captain.
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