Tamie Smith is out as court clerk for the city of Warrenton after aldermen voted to fire her last week. She had been with the city for less than three months. Prior to being employed in Warrenton, she filled the same capacity for the city of Wright City for around four years. Aldermen voted 6-0 during a closed session meeting held Dec. 1 to terminate Smith. Her final day was Friday, Dec. 4. Mayor Greg Costello, who was ill and missed last Tuesday's regular and closed session, defended the city's action. "It wasn't what our expectation level was," Costello said. "We have qualified and trained support people so I don't think we will miss a beat." When Smith was hired, she was selected over five other candidates, city officials said at that time. The court clerk duties will be handled by in-house staff, according to Director of Operations/Finance Officer Terri Thorn. City officials did not know a time line on how soon they might fill the opening. The city's next municipal court date is Jan. 7. Specifics related to Smith's firing were not made available when Thorn or Board President Fred Flake were reached. She was being paid $14.50 an hour. "When you hire employees that are new to the city, you can't predict those outcomes," Thorn said. "It's a personnel issue," Flake remarked. Smith could not be reached for comment. Planning and Zoning Opening Filled Also during last Tuesday's closed session, aldermen voted unanimously to hire Jeri Hulsey-Walters as the city's new planning and zoning coordinator. She will also split her time working in the finance department, according to Thorn. Hulsey-Walters will be paid $13 an hour. Her first day was last Monday, Nov. 30. The move to split the duties was made, Thorn said, due to the decrease in planning and zoning work. Thorn said Hulsey-Walters was selected from a group of five applicants. Despite her limited experience in a building department, her background working with other municipalities stood out, Thorn said. "We needed someone with accounting and finance abilities and computer skills," she said. Hulsey-Walters had most recently worked at the Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., according to Deb Jett, the city's human resources director. Prior to moving to Arkansas, she worked for two years in Wentzville as the assistant to the city administrator. She also worked two years in Wildwood and five years in Bixby, Okla., Jett said. The position was previously held by Becky McCollum, who left the city following a near two-year stint after accepting a job as city clerk in Flint Hill.