The Town of Collierville and retired Fire and Rescue Chief John Selberg reached a retirement agreement on Aug. 20 that will allow him to get a full salary for up to a year.
According to a retirement agreement obtained by the Commercial Appeal on Aug. 21 through an open record request, Selberg will receive 12 months of severance pay equal to his current salary, beginning on the eighth day following his execution of this agreement. The agreement signed by Collierville Mayor Maureen Fraser says that Selberg will be paid in equal installments in accordance with the normal Town employee payroll timeline.
Selberg’s annual salary at retirement was $165,617, while the payout for his accrued vacation and personal days that he will received in a lump sum
will be $21,538.29, according to town officials. Selberg will retain the same health insurance coverage for a year and Collierville will deduct from his severance payments.
Selberg's resignation and retirement was announced by the Town Aug. 21. Selberg’s employment agreement with the town dated back to March 2022, according to the retirement agreement.
Selberg was appointed by the board to Collierville fire chief April 2022, after serving the city of Germantown. He was placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 10 due to alleged inappropriate comments in the midst of his "employment status" and "underperformance" being in question.
“Because of the publicity surrounding the placement of Selberg on administrative leave neither party desires to continue with the employment relationship under the current conditions,” the retirement agreement said.
According to the retirement agreement, Selberg agreed he will not seek future employment with the Town of Collierville. He also agreed to return all town property in his possession.
Selberg still stunned by departure
Selberg told the Commercial Appeal in a phone interview Aug. 21 he is still "flabbergasted" by the series of events that led to him no longer being Collierville fire chief.
He was "caught completely off guard" when he was placed on administrative leave and concerns were raised about his job performance, according to a letter he penned in response to town administrator Molly Mehner's concerns.
Selberg again refuted claims made by Fraser and Mehner that he used offensive language toward Mehner, which contributed to him ultimately being placed on paid administrative leave.
“I’m still in shock, and it (Mehner’s concerns) obviously caught me off guard,” Selberg said. “I’m in there right now going through and pulling out my old uniforms. I’m still trying to understand this whole thing. I’m one of those guys that I don’t really want to be out there in front of the public and everything.
"This has been tough, and I hate that it even looks bad on the Town.”
Looking back at the situation, Selberg wishes he had been been granted the opportunity to speak with members of the Collierville Board of Mayor of Aldermen. He mentioned in his statement released on Aug. 22 during conversations with them individually, several officials were not aware of all of the concerns attributed to them or that the board had collectively determined it was time for new leadership.
“My biggest concern I think was I wanted to talk with the aldermen to make sure of their direction, and that’s what I was trying to do,” Selberg said. “I didn’t really get that opportunity. I think maybe if I had that opportunity, we could figure out where wanted to go next.”
A special-called meeting previously scheduled for Aug. 14 was cancelled and never rescheduled after Selberg being placed on administrative leave.
Mehner described "a long history of underperformance" by Selberg in his role as fire chief. Selberg defended his efforts to establish an ambulance service, strengthen internal operations and maintain physical test standards for firefighters as well as maintain communication with the Town.
He also highlighted other aspects of his tenure including a pay step plan he devised in 2024 for firefighters to address concerns about pay, which has largely impacted the morale of the fire department. However, the plan remained stagnant for the last two years.
Under Selberg’s helm, Collierville opened the 16,000-square-foot, two-story Collierville Fire Station No. 6 at 11670 E. Shelby Drive in December 2025.
“I’m really praying that the fire department can recover from this and move forward strong because we were really making some good direction,” Selberg said. “The new station, and we’ve got all these promotions, so we’ve got a lot of new guys in their officers' positions and drivers. I was kind of trying to support them with some different things we were taking on, so I’m hoping that some of that can continue to build those guys.”
Long legacy serving fire departments, starting in Germantown
Selberg is not new to the field of fire and rescue.
He has more than 40 years of experience working in fire service — began his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1977 in Germantown. Selberg served as the Germantown fire chief for 11 years before taking the same role in Collierville. Selberg's career at Germantown Fire Department spanned 45 years, according to his Linkedin page.
Selberg began his career with the Germantown Fire Department in 1980 as a firefighter. He climbed the ranks in the department from fire lieutenant to battalion chief to fire marshal and to assistant fire chief in 1990. He served 21 years as assistant fire chief before being promoted to the suburb's fire chief.
He also served as a task force leader for Tennessee Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One and responded to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Selberg's accolades during his career included being named the 1985 Firefighter of the Year from the Knights of Columbus organization in Germantown and 2021 Firefighter of the Year from the Germantown Kiwanis Club. Selberg said he and his family currently live in Germantown close to the Collierville border.
Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo told the Commercial Appeal Selberg's dedication led Germantown to the full modernization of the suburb's fire department and fire services. He said that consisted of developing a fully accredited hazmat certification comprehensive emergency medical services, including ambulance and rescue and the national designation as an ISO 1 rated fire department. The designation for a fire agency is touted as the highest possible Public Protection Classification (PPC) score awarded by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) that indicate exemplary public fire protection and operational readiness.
"Additionally, his leadership in Tennessee Task Force One answered the call to numerous natural disasters and the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon," Palazzolo said. "Simply put, chief Selberg's career was dedicated to the service of our residents."
Uncertainty going forward
Selberg said he's unsure what his next move will be going forward in terms of fire service.
“It’s been 49 since I wasn’t a firefighter, so it’s a little rough on that,” Selberg said. “I really don’t know right now what’s next, and I know there are opportunities out there. I think I could do something like that. However, right now, I’ve just got to kind of reevaluate where I’m at. My family is here in terms of my mom, my brothers and their families and my kids. I really don’t want to take a job that carries me away from here.”
When will Collierville start search for a new fire, rescue chief?
Fraser and Mehner both told the Commercial Appeal that it is too early to talk about the process for the town’s next fire chief, while citing that the conversations haven’t begun yet.
Mark Carter, assistant fire chief, is serving as interim chief, according to Town officials.
Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Corey.Davis@commercialappeal.com or 901-293-1610.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Selberg shares what's next after retirement agreement with Collierville Town
