Council approves package to add city positions, debates replacing budgeted captain with assistant chief role

The council approved a resolution authorizing new classifications, salary‑schedule amendments and general‑fund appropriations to restore in‑house capacity, pursue succession planning and reduce reliance on consultants.

City manager presented a package that would create or reinstate positions across departments, including a police administration manager, community service officer, six public safety officers (two for a park‑ranger program), an assistant director of community development, assistant planner, building official, recycling coordinator and a human‑resources/risk management analyst. The package included a budget estimate for total compensation across the new positions; city staff presented a range for salary and benefit costs and asked council to provide direction on filling the roles and sequencing recruitment.

A central and prolonged debate focused on police department rank structure: the council discussed whether the city should retain a budgeted police captain position (previously removed from union representation and reserved for internal promotion) or convert that budgeted slot to an assistant chief of police — an executive‑level, contract position. The police chief recommended keeping the budgeted captain position to preserve an internal promotional pathway and because the captain classification is non‑represented and was part of earlier agreements with the unions. The chief warned an outside hire to an assistant‑chief contract role can be disruptive and urged that any assistant‑chief recruitment prioritize internal candidates first.

City manager and other councilmembers argued that an assistant‑chief role could strengthen succession planning and provide broader administrative capacity if filled internally; several councilmembers requested more analysis and asked staff to return with a clear structure, cost comparisons and a plan to protect internal promotion opportunities.

Why it matters: The package aims to build long‑term capacity for routine city services and to restore dormant community programs (e.g., police community‑relations functions and park‑ranger coverage). The police‑rank decision raises questions about internal morale, recruitment, and whether executive hires should be made via open recruitment versus internal promotion.

Next steps: Council approved the package and directed staff to proceed with recruitment and implementation consistent with civil‑service rules and council guidance; staff will return with additional analysis on rank structure and the timing of conversions if any.