Council considers six‑month interim contract for acting police chief; legal counsel recommends structured evaluation

St. Helens city attorneys and councilors debated how best to move from an interim arrangement toward a permanent police chief appointment during a March 5 work session, and council members introduced a motion to formalize Acting Chief Joe Hogue’s role under a time‑limited employment agreement.

Peter, an attorney advising the council, recommended formalizing the interim arrangement with a written interim employment agreement that would set expectations and include a defined evaluation period — he suggested roughly a six‑month timeframe. "Put together kind of a 6 month period within which Chief Hogue can kind of assume the position ... and at the end of that period, the council can revisit whether it…