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 responsibilities to captains and other staff. Several residents and councilmembers said that consolidating command risks weakening specialized fire leadership; others noted the city’s tight budget and supported seeking savings.

Proposal details and fiscal figures Paul Wood explained the plan: deactivate the fire chief and police chief positions and create a single public safety director position, proposed to be filled by the city’s police chief. The staff report itemized potential financial impacts: salary adjustments, the elimination of incident‑command stipends previously paid for an on‑call incident commander, potential outsourcing of certain fire‑marshal responsibilities and modest increases for captains or administrative support based on negotiated out‑of‑class duties. The staff estimate labeled some figures provisional because labor negotiations and outsourcing costs remain undetermined.

Public comment Multiple residents urged caution and asked council to retain separate leadership for police and fire. One longtime resident, Layala, told the council, "This has been the safest I've felt in Greenfield in a long time... Please, I urge you, reconsider this." Other speakers raised concerns about firefighter succession, the technical expertise required for fire operations and potential outsourcing costs for a fire marshal.

Council debate and vote Council members discussed whether the change should be temporary, how long the council should test the model and whether staff should provide comparative data from other jurisdictions. Several council members asked staff to return quickly with salary comparisons and examples of other cities that use a consolidated public safety director model.

On the motion to adopt the resolution establishing the public safety director and assigning the police chief, the roll call vote was: Council member Jones — yes; Council member Garcia — no; Council member Ortiz — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Rodriguez — no; Mayor White — yes. The motion carried 3–2. Council directed staff to return at the next meeting with comparative salary data and examples of similar arrangements in other cities.

Votes at a glance - K1: Resolution approving a supplemental appropriation of $61,162 to move two sewer vehicle expenditures from FY 2023–24 to FY 2024–25 — adopted (voice vote). - K2: Resolution transferring $60,000 of water CIP funds to Well No. 7 for pump and electrical repair — adopted (voice vote). - K3: Resolution establishing Public Safety Director position and amending the unrepresented salary schedule — adopted by roll call, 3–2 (Jones yes; Garcia no; Ortiz yes; Rodriguez no; White yes).

Ending: Council approved the structural change and asked staff to return quickly with comparative salary and structural examples from other cities and a clearer cost breakdown for any outsourced fire‑marshal services or pay adjustments for captains and administrative staff.