Chesterfield City Administrator Announces Retirement

Chesterfield's first and only City Administrator, Mike Herring, announced his retirement at the December 7 City Council meeting.   Mr. Herring began his 27 and a half-year career with the City of Chesterfield in 1988, having been the City Administrator in Ballwin previously since 1982.   His last day of service will be March 31, 2016.

In a letter to the City Council he stated, “I am DEEPLY HONORED to have had the opportunity to serve our community, as City Administrator and to have been the FIRST EMPLOYEE HIRED, following Chesterfield’s incorporation, on June 1, 1988.  I take IMMENSE PRIDE in all that we have accomplished, since then and am thrilled to note that our FUTURE is just as bright, if not brighter, than our past!  A primary reason for this is the incredible team of professionals that I will be leaving behind, who serve as your MANAGEMENT TEAM!"

"My wife and I are excited to begin the next phase of our lives together.  While I will have much more to say, over the remaining months of my employment, I want you to know that it is my intention to leave, just as I arrived:  SINGING THE PRAISES OF THIS WONDERFUL COMMUNITY!   Thank you for the opportunity to be of service!”

During his career with Chesterfield, he has provided unwavering leadership and has continually positioned the City to be successful to accommodate future growth.  Mr. Herring has been at the helm of the City during some very difficult times, including the Flood of 1993 – only five years after the City was incorporated – and also during the Great Recession.  During this time, he had to make some very difficult decisions in leading our management team through a right-sizing of the organization and managing the City’s budget in order to assure the City was financially secure into the future.  These decisions, while arduous, enabled the City to manage the effects of the recession and placed it in a much better position than many municipal governments experienced.  Additionally, the City was able to maintain its Aaa bond rating.

Under Mr. Herring’s leadership, the Parks Division was created in 1994 through an $11 million bond issue that led to the purchase of Chesterfield’s first park, Central Park, which now houses the Chesterfield Family Aquatic Center, a playground, a pavilion and has expanded to include the Chesterfield Amphitheater, and a lake and trail system.  He also worked with political leaders during 2004 to successfully place a ½-cent sales tax on the ballot, known as Proposition P, which passed with overwhelming support.  This tax has help to fund numerous amenities including the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex which houses playing fields for football, soccer, baseball, softball, and lacrosse which benefits not only Chesterfield residents, but those from around the region.  It has helped fund the Chesterfield Amphitheater, a state-of-the-art entertainment venue, enabling us to offer numerous free concerts, movies and other events from May through October, drawing established festivals and events such the Budweiser Taste of St. Louis, Vintage Market Days and Pedal the Cause. Chesterfield has one of the premier Parks, Recreation and Arts Divisions in the country, becoming Nationally Accredited through CAPRA in 2011. 

In 1996, Mr. Herring was instrumental in the passage of two concurrent ballot issues that ensured a permanent funding source for streets and capital improvements.  The 1/2-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax and a $30 million bond issue were simultaneously on the ballot and were approved, resulting in the replacement of one-third of the City’s streets.  Under his leadership, the Public Services Department also achieved Accreditation status this year through the American Public Works Association (APWA).   Chesterfield was the 100th agency in North America to receive this status and the first in the St. Louis region. 

Mr. Herring was intimately involved in the creation of two funding mechanisms that would change the face of Chesterfield forever – the Chesterfield Valley Tax Increment Financing District in 1994 and the Chesterfield Valley Transportation Development District in 2005.  By working together with various community leaders to ensure these mechanisms were in place, the Valley has become a thriving economic center.  Following the devastation of the Great Flood of 1993, there are now over 1,000 licensed businesses that provide the economic engine to the St. Louis region due to the structure of the County’s sales tax pool system.  This regrowth of The Valley was made possible by the TIF providing $72 million in necessary infrastructure improvements for storm water drainage, water and sewer lines, improvements to the Monarch-Chesterfield levee, along with critical roadway and overpass construction.  The TIF was retired in 2007, fully 10 years ahead of schedule due to the successful development of the Chesterfield Valley.   Additionally, the Valley TDD, a 3/8-cent sales tax, has provided for significant transportation improvements to enhance the flow of traffic in and out of this area as well as the construction of a highly-used paved trail atop the levee.

In addition to having one of the safest communities in the country, our police department is Internationally Accredited through CALEA and has been recertified four times.  The last two accreditation reviews resulted in remarkable “no findings” reports, meaning they received a perfect score and were the first department in the program to do so.  Mr. Herring has always made this accreditation and maintaining its standards a priority, and ensures our officers have the tools and training necessary to do their jobs with integrity and precision.

It’s not easy being “green”, nor is it always popular, but Mr. Herring has given direction and led staff through a variety of projects and initiatives to ensure that Chesterfield protects and preserves our natural resources.  In addition to supporting the numerous initiatives of our volunteer-based Citizens Committee for the Environment, he was instrumental in the placement of solar-thermal arrays atop City Hall and photovoltaic panels atop bleacher covers at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex.  The solar-thermal arrays have proven beneficial in reducing our energy costs for heating and cooling by reducing gas usage.  Most recently he has led efforts to begin converting our public works vehicles to compressed natural gas or CNG vehicles.

Over his tenure, he has fostered numerous partnerships within the community.  He has long served as an ex-officio member of the board of Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, and routinely directs staff to partner and communicate regularly with the Chamber.   The Parkway School District is also another entity for which he has worked to create numerous partnerships, including the potential sharing of CNG fueling stations for our Public Works fleet.  Perhaps the most important partnership he has worked to create is the St. Louis Area Insurance Trust (SLAIT), wherein cities pool their resources for property & casualty insurance and most recently health-insurance.  The health insurance pool has become a model for other cities and is very successful among the participants.  By encouraging employees to take responsibility for their wellness and recognizing the benefits of filing fewer insurance claims, the City of Chesterfield has had modest increases in insurance premiums for employees of only 1-3% over the past few years, having an actual DECREASE in 2015, which is remarkable.  The SLAIT model has won an Outstanding Local Government Achievement Award from East West Gateway Council of Governments.

Mr. Herring served as President of the Missouri City Management Association (MCMA), from 1991-1992, having previously served as Vice-President and as a member of the Board of Directors.  He served as President of the St. Louis Area City Management Association, from 1985-1986 and has also served on numerous Missouri Municipal League and St. Louis County Municipal League committees.    He has previously served as Chairperson of the St. Louis Area Insurance Trust (SLAIT) and remains a member of the Board.  In 2003, he was designated as a “fully-credentialed manager” by the International City Management Association.