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Council approves police support specialist positions, moves dispatch to sheriff and adds temporary admin post
Summary
Council amended the city's strength ordinance to add two police support specialist positions and approved a temporary administrative assistant position until July 8 to cover a pending vacancy; council discussed that dispatch duties will transfer to the sheriff's department and approved related job-description revisions for hiring.
The London City Council approved amendments affecting police staffing and administrative coverage, including adding two police support specialist positions and a temporary administrative assistant slot to the strength ordinance so the city can hire and train replacements.
Council heard that the police department requested two police support specialist positions to cover extended hours and administrative duties. Council debated whether one full-time plus one part-time position would suffice but ultimately left the ordinance at two positions, citing the chief's expressed need to cover both shifts. Council also adopted the ordinance as an emergency so the positions could be filled promptly.
Council members discussed that the city's dispatching services will soon be handled by the Madison County sheriff's office (the transcript referred to a transfer of dispatch duties to the sheriff's department). Because dispatchers will no longer be city employees, the support specialist position would take on duties currently performed by dispatchers as well as other administrative tasks.
Separately, the council temporarily amended the strength ordinance to add a full-time administrative assistant position from the meeting date until July 8 to cover an outgoing employee; the council noted the current administrative employee's last day is July 7. Council agreed the temporary addition can be removed automatically from the strength ordinance on July 8 without returning to council.
Council also discussed revising job descriptions (Resolution 139-25 and Resolution 136-25 were on the agenda) to reflect duties for the administrative role and police support specialist; council members asked for additional review time on at least one of the job descriptions before finalizing a hire. The council suspended the three-reading rule on at least one ordinance addressing staffing and passed the emergency clause to allow immediate effect.
The meeting transcript records the votes to adopt the strength ordinance changes and the police support specialist ordinance, and council announced the ordinances had passed. The transcript does not include individual employment offers, job-posting dates, or salary amounts beyond discussion of salary-range mechanics for job classifications.
