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Cleveland council approves part-time police hire, temporarily lifts chief's PTO cap and schedules police workshop with county
Summary
At the Jan. 5 meeting the council approved hiring Martin Rosales as a part-time officer beginning Jan. 12, temporarily lifted the police chief’s PTO cap through Feb. 28 to support training, and approved a police department workshop with county officials; public commenters raised questions about the police department and utility billing testing.
The Cleveland City Council on Jan. 5 approved personnel and operational steps affecting the city’s police department and heard public concerns about local services.
Police Chief Randy Tiegs reported that Martin Rosales has been hired as a part-time officer and will start on Jan. 12, 2026. Tiegs asked the council to temporarily lift the department’s PTO cap until Feb. 28, 2026 to accommodate Rosales’ training; Council Member Sarah McCabe moved to approve and Tonya Schummer seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Separately the council authorized a police department workshop with Le Sueur County to discuss policing options, pending Chief Tiegs’ and county availability; Sheriff Mason and Chief Deputy Greenig indicated they will meet with Council Members Schummer and McCabe before the workshop and will attend the session, with public comment to be permitted.
During public comment resident Scott Bucholtz urged council members to consider whether the city should continue operating a police department, framing it as a policy question for the upcoming workshop. Another resident, Mark Hintgen, asked about the status of the city’s online utility-billing system; City Clerk-Treasurer Charles Hodge said staff encountered integration complications that they believe are fixed and that the council will be able to test the system starting in January with an internal test period of about two to four months before a resident rollout.
Why it matters Hiring and training decisions affect local public safety staffing and budgets, and the planned workshop with county officials will shape options and next steps for how policing services are organized and delivered in Cleveland.
What’s next The part-time officer’s start date is Jan. 12, and the temporary PTO cap relief runs through Feb. 28 to support training. The council will hold the police workshop with county representatives when schedules allow and allow public comment at that meeting.
