Council votes 3–2 to create public safety director role and assign police chief; debate centers on safety and cost

The City Council voted 3–2 to establish a public safety director position, deactivate the fire chief post upon the incumbent’s retirement and assign Police Chief Bill Mixer to the new director role. The decision followed a lengthy staff report, public comment and extended council debate about savings, operational risk and the need for comparative data from similar cities.

City Manager Paul Wood presented the proposal to combine executive leadership for the police and fire departments. Staff said the approach would reduce executive headcount and yield an estimated one‑time savings of about $97,911 for the remainder of the current fiscal year and an annualized saving of about $217,000 in 2025–26, before accounting for possible out‑of‑class pay or other adjustments for captains and support staff.

Why it matters: The change would replace a separate fire chief with a consolidated public safety director (to be filled by the police chief) and redistribute…