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Sunman marshal announces resignation; council endorses search for academy‑trained part‑time deputy
Summary
The town marshal reported a paid officer, Zach Powell, resigned and urged the council to recruit a part‑time, academy‑trained deputy to improve qualifications and reduce enforcement limitations; council asked staff to place a job description on a future agenda.
The town marshal reported that paid officer Zach Powell "honorably resigned" and recommended the council pursue a part‑time deputy marshal with academy training to replace that role.
The marshal said the town has been fielding equipment and vehicle maintenance issues and that shifting to a roughly 20‑hour position tied to academy training would make the job more attractive and better suited for road patrol duties than the current special‑position arrangement. "An academy officer is going to do me better out here on the road than a 40‑hour pre‑basic officer," the marshal said, arguing academy training would avoid the legal gray areas associated with special officer duties.
Council members discussed timing and whether the town could hire an academy‑trained officer immediately; one councilor noted there was already an adopted deputy marshal job description from prior years. The marshal said he would work with staff (including Cheryl) to prepare a revised job description and bring it back to the council in a future meeting.
The council also heard updates about officer training funds and a low‑cost online training option (about $99 per officer), which the marshal said could be added to an upcoming agenda for formal approval.
The council did not take a final hiring vote at the meeting; members directed staff to prepare the job description and bring a personnel item to a future agenda.
