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Cochran department heads report hires, pay raises, hydrant flushing and audit results
Summary
Police, fire, public works and finance leaders updated the council on staffing and operations: a new police captain and code enforcer were hired, firefighters received a 9% raise, hydrant flushing caused temporary water discoloration, and the finance team passed the yearly payroll audit.
Department heads gave brief operational updates during the July 9 Cochran work session.
The police chief announced a new hire, Police Captain Mat Leopard, citing 18 years of law enforcement experience, and requested authorization to bid for a new emergency communications system to improve reliability during outages. The fire chief thanked the council for a recent 9% pay increase for firefighters, reported positive feedback on the July 4 event and said the department did not receive a grant it had applied for. Public Works Director Willie Farrow announced the hire of Samantha Burns as a Level II code enforcement officer and reported ongoing hydrant flushing that has caused temporary water discoloration; he said the department plans to coordinate flushing with the fire department to complete the process more quickly. The finance department reported positive work with a new accounting group and City Clerk Candace Summerall noted the city passed its yearly payroll audit.
The council did not take formal action on these reports but was asked to consider the police request to bid the communications project; staff will return with procurement details if the council authorizes bidding.
Details to follow: staff will provide procurement specifications and timeline for the emergency communications bid if approved, and Public Works will provide notices to residents about planned flushing schedules.
