Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato has confirmed that City Administrator Allan Rice is on leave.

Rice was hired as administrator in 2016, the second-highest ranking city official behind Brocato.

AL.com first reported Friday that there were questions surrounding Rice’s employment status after media began receiving tips that Rice was no longer in that position and a photo was shown Rice leaving City Hall with a box of his belongings.

City officials on Friday said Rice had not been terminated but said they couldn’t further discuss any personnel matters.

Rice told AL.com that he could only say that he had not been terminated or resigned.

City officials have not said why Rice was placed on administrative leave nor how long it would last.

The suspension came one day after Rice shared a television news story about a Calera Police Department recruiting video with this caption: “Calera has an excellent police chief who possesses superior character. I only wish that my city’s police department was led by someone like David Hyche.”

The post was deleted a short time later and replaced with a more generic version.

Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said he had no response to Rice’s post.

Prior to becoming Hoover’s city administrator, Rice worked for the Hoover Fire Department from 1992 until 2007 and served as executive director of the Alabama Fire College and Personnel Standards Commission.