College Place delays police hire, confirms new firefighter on staff

College Place commissioners approved routine consent items on May 8, 2025, and received a staffing update that the city hired a firefighter in April but will delay filling an open police position because it was not budgeted.

A staff member told commissioners, “We did just hire a new firefighter to backfill a position that was open. Hannah Grinchkopf started in April, and then we are set to hire one more in June.” The staff member added that the open police position would be held vacant “due to budget constraints,” saying the city would let the current civil service list expire in October and refresh it then to recruit candidates.

The update matters because police and fire staffing affect public-safety coverage and city payroll costs. The staff member said training and outfitting new officers—sending someone to the academy and purchasing equipment—would add substantial expense and were not provided for in the current budget. The commissioners did not take a separate formal vote on hiring policy at the meeting; the staffing report was presented as informational.

Before the staffing update, the commissioners approved a consent agenda that included the May 8, 2025 agenda, minutes from the April 10, 2025 meeting and the April 2025 payroll. The motion carried after commissioners responded “aye.” The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.

City staff plan to refresh the police civil service list in October 2025 and may return at that time to recruit from a new list; no dates or budget amounts for the police hire were specified at the meeting.