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Council to revisit code language on administrative‑assistant terms after police staffing recommendations
Summary
Chief Steve Meister recommended raising Evelyn Aiken to police records and property clerk and appointing Kirsten Rollins as administrative assistant to the police chief, and the committee instructed the city attorney to reword ordinance language on administrative‑assistant terms.
Chief Steve Meister told the committee May 13 that he is recommending Evelyn Aiken be hired as police department records and property clerk and that Kirsten Rollins be appointed administrative assistant to the police chief.
"It is a critical position to the police department," Chief Meister said of the records and property clerk role, describing duties that include FOIA handling, NIBRS entry, redactions, and offender registration tasks. Meister said the civilian position frees certified officers from administrative work. He told the committee that six candidates applied for the records position and that Aiken "came out on top" in the department's review.
The committee also spent substantial time on draft amendments to ordinances that create the civilian administrative positions. Chief Meister and several council members raised concerns that current ordinance language may limit administrative employees' terms to coincide with the appointing mayor's term. City Attorney John Hovlett advised the council that state statute can override local code and that, under state law, removal and reinstatement procedures apply. Hovlett summarized statutory mechanics and urged clarity in local code.
Meister proposed changing the ordinance language so that the term of office for the administrative assistants would "exist in perpetuity," while retaining state‑statute provisions for resignation and removal. "It'd be my recommendation to change some language regarding the term of office," Meister said; the committee asked Hovlett to prepare revised language and to review other similar positions. The committee placed the ordinance amendment (items 1‑23‑3 and 1‑25‑3) and the two appointments on the regular agenda for the full council, and asked the attorney to draft the proposed language prior to the next council meeting.
No final hiring votes or ordinance amendments were recorded during the committee meeting; the items were scheduled for the next regular council meeting.
