Abbeville council ratifies Doris Long Jr. as temporary fire chief, sets base pay

The Abbeville City Council on Monday ratified Mayor's appointment of Doris Long Jr. as temporary fire chief and set the position’s base pay.

Chief Doris Long Jr. told the council he “certainly appreciate[d] this consideration during this time” and said he looks forward to continuing his career with the department. The council approved the ratification by roll call and later set the temporary chief’s base pay at 81,112, which was described in the meeting as 2% below the previous chief’s base pay.

The vote on the appointment and the separate pay motion passed after brief remarks of support from multiple council members. Council members publicly thanked Long and said firefighters they had spoken with recommended his appointment.

The meeting also cleared multiple consent and routine items: ratification of payment for an emergency sewer repair, a partial progress payment on the Chris Cresta Memorial Airport hangar project, adoption of a 2026 holiday schedule and two amendments to engineering agreements for downtown street improvements and Graceland Avenue. Staff reported the downtown project originally bid at about $1.1 million expanded during design and construction—adding bulb-outs, brick paver crosswalks, sidewalks and several change orders—prompting the requested engineering amendment.

Votes at a glance: the temporary fire chief appointment (approved); pay setting for the temporary chief (approved); emergency sewer repair payment (approved); partial payment for airport hangar (approved); holiday-schedule resolution (approved); engineering amendments for downtown street improvements and Graceland Avenue (both approved).