POCATELLO — The city’s Animal Services director abruptly resigned Monday.

Josh Heinz, who was promoted to Pocatello’s Animal Services director in March 2020 after joining the department in 2006, tendered his resignation effective immediately on Monday, according to Pocatello spokesperson Logan McDougall.

Heinz, who made an annual salary of about $71,000 as Animal Services director, did not return several requests from the Idaho State Journal for comment for this story. Exactly why he resigned remains a mystery, as Idaho code prevents Pocatello city staff from discussing private personnel decisions.

“I was out last week so I have not had a chance to visit with (Heinz) and was just provided with the notice today,” Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said about Heinz’s resignation. “I don’t know any more about it, but I can tell you that he was a great employee. He was excellent for the city, great in leading the animal shelter and did a lot of work over there to help the patrons of our city. I was in shock when I heard the news today.”

Heinz is the city’s second top-level official to resign this month. Pocatello’s chief financial officer, Jim Krueger, announced his resignation following a heated City Council meeting on June 10. Krueger said he will remain on staff to see through completion a citywide audit and will work to finalize the city’s budget but will no longer participate in any further budget discussions or City Council meetings.

Krueger was the second CFO to resign from the city in less than a year and Heinz was the second Animal Services Director to resign in a little more than the past two years.

Pocatello Animal Services is a city department located within the Pocatello Police Department umbrella. Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei on Monday said the department is working on a plan to fill the open position following Heinz’s resignation.

Blad says the city’s CFO position is currently posted and the search will remain active for about the next month, at which point the city will review all of the applications and begin the interviewing and hiring process.

“I don’t know that any of these resignations are connected,” Blad said. “There are different circumstances in each situation and while both the CFO resignations are slightly connected, I do not believe the resignation of the Animals Services director today is connected at all to the previous director resigning.”