After six years on the job, the director of Development Services in Missoula has left the post, the city confirmed on Monday morning.

Mike Haynes, who was hired in 2013 after the department was reconfigured to its current form, left for what the city described as personal reasons.

Haynes didn't return calls last week for comment on development activity across the city midway through the year. The city said he has already left the job.

“Mike had a personal matter come up and decided it was a good time for him to retire,” said Ginny Merriam, the city's communication's director. “We will start a recruitment for a new Development Services director soon.”

Merriam said Jeremy Keene, who was recently hired to serve as director of Public Works, will step in as interim director at Development Services. Dennis Bowman will serve as interim Public Works director.

“I'm glad to help out where I can,” Keene said on Monday. “My goal is to help facilitate a transition and help find the next director. We'll spend a little time on what we want to look for and who we want to look for.”

Over the first five months of 2019, the city of Missoula issued building permits valued at more than $82 million, including 201 residential units and three commercial projects valued over $5 million each, according to a development update release last week.

The figures are on pace to match last year's numbers, even after a slow first quarter. Several large projects have yet to receive a permit and when they do, they're expected to continue this year's momentum.

The second and third quarters are historically the strongest in Missoula.

“To Mikes credit, he created that department,” Keene said. “He was the first director after the city split with the county. It's a good department. They do a lot of things well and there's some things we need to work on. I see this an opportunity to figure those things out and find a new person who addresses that.”

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