Retiring fire chief to get $80,000 severance package

An agreement with Colorado Springs’ previous mayor apparently was a factor in this week’s unexpected resignation of Fire Chief Chris Riley.

Current Mayor John Suthers confirmed Wednesday that the city will pay Riley a severance package of half his annual salary — around $80,000 — after the chief’s last official day on Friday.

Suthers said his predecessor, Steve Bach, reached an agreement with Riley on the payout when the city hired Riley three years ago.

Riley’s decision to resign was his own, Suthers said, and the mayor did not explain why Riley is retiring.

“Surprised? No, not really,” Suthers said.

Several firefighters said they didn’t expect their chief to resign.

Suthers thanked Riley for his service and said the retirement does not indicate a problem within the Fire Department.

“I think (Riley) did a great job in terms of making sure the Fire Department was prepared to carry out its role,” Suthers said. “We have lost some top administrators there recently, but I’m convinced it’s still a high-quality department. There’s no unusual amount of issues.”

Suthers declined to elaborate further about Riley’s resignation, calling it a personnel matter.

The city will conduct a nationwide search for Riley’s replacement.

“I’m not concerned that we’re unable to handle fires while we hire a new chief,” Suthers said.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 reported previously about several top city administrators receiving similar severance packages after leaving during Bach’s term.

“We still have a few more left to pay,” Suthers said, without elaborating.