Jackson fills two city posts from within

JACKSON, Mo. -- The city of Jackson has promoted from within to fill two high-level staff positions.

Since late last year, Rodney Bollinger has been handling both his previous job as planning and zoning superintendent and the position of interim public works director. Bollinger now is the city's public works director.

Bollinger has been employed by the city of Jackson for 11 years, starting as a construction inspector.

The traffic study the city has undertaken this year will be one of the major challenges to be faced, he said. "But everything's going to be a challenge. I'm going to be getting familiar with all the departments and the people that do all the hard work in Jackson."

Bollinger is the fourth public works director in Jackson's history and at 32 is the youngest. He and his wife, Danette, have one son, 9-month-old Kyle.

Was GIS coordinator

Janet Sanders, who has been employed by the city for seven years, has been promoted to the position of planning and zoning superintendent. She started with the city as a construction inspector and building inspector. Two years ago, she became the city's Geographic Information System coordinator and flood-plain inspector.

She recently was certified as an expert in flood-plain inspection and will retain that job. The city has begun advertising for a new GIS technician.

Sanders hopes to streamline the permitting process, improve the training of inspectors, coordinate inspectors' hours with those of contractors and promote GIS mapping of all utilities in the city.

Working in the male-dominated construction world, Sanders admits she occasionally has encountered men who question her knowledge.

"I did a lot of code-book studying so I knew what was in the code and could back it up," she said.

Sanders and her husband, Doug, have two children, Heather, 17, and Krista, 16.