City swears in new manager Burris on Monday

The ceremony will be open to the public and is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in the Busch Building lobby, 840 Boonville Ave.

Burris will be the city’s 12th manager, replacing Bob Cumley, who retired in May. Deputy City Manager Evelyn Honea has been serving as interim manager.

Burris says he plans to kick off his new job with an extensive series of meetings with city departments and community groups to get background on issues, as well as focusing on several key goals during his first months in office, according to a news release. Last month, he told Springfield Business Journal that his top priorities would be strategic planning and finding a fix for the Police and Fire Pension Fund shortfall.

Burris previously spent 25 years at Missouri State University, where he most recently was vice president for administrative and information services. He was responsible for more than $30 million of MSU’s annual budget and 350 full-time employees.