Park City Manager Matt Dias confirmed to KPCW that, after his arrest nearly a month ago, Transportation Director Alfred Knotts is not on administrative leave and still works for the city.
"Obviously, it’s a sensitive situation, and he had some sort of event happen in his personal life, and I'm not at liberty to comment on that," Dias said. "He’s still employed with Park City Municipal organization. However, he has requested the use of vacation time, and we have honored that request. We've given him some time to work on his situation and spend time with his family, and he's earned this vacation time."
Knotts was charged with three class B misdemeanors in early February. Knotts was absent from the Park City Council’s annual retreat Feb. 13, where the council discussed transportation as a key theme from the city’s 2020 visioning session. As transportation director, Knotts oversees the Park City Transit system as well as all transportation-related projects and policy decisions.
A joint meeting between the Park City and Summit County Councils to discuss transit goals is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4. Knotts' vacation time is approved beyond Wednesday, so Knotts will not attend the meeting, though his counterpart at the county, Regional Transportation Planning Director Caroline Rodriguez, will be there. Dias says there won’t be much staff participation in the conversation.
“This is really an opportunity to allow both the county council and the city council to have a deep, broad, far-ranging policy discussion,” Dias said.
Some transportation staff members have indicated they’ve taken on an additional workload recently, outside of their regular scope of duties. Dias says the city is fortunate to have a strong transportation team.
“We have a planning division, a parking division, a fleet division, a transit division, finance and administration," Dias said. "So, all of those managers are working with myself and Jerry Benson [former Utah Transit Authority CEO who contracts with Park City Municipal] and council and the mayor to execute and administer the broad array of transportation responsibilities in our community.”
Knotts’ pre-trial hearing for domestic violence is scheduled for March 3. Knotts has not returned KPCW’s request for comment.
