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Council amends marshal ordinance to allow three deputies but says third post not funded this year
Summary
Council adopted an amendment changing the town marshal ordinance to allow up to three deputies; Marshal Marshall Wright expressed a preference for three deputies but council noted the position is not budgeted and indicated intent to delay filling a third deputy until 2027 unless funding returns earlier.
The Monrovia Town Council voted to amend the town marshal ordinance to reference three deputy positions while clarifying the town’s budget does not currently fund the third slot.
Mary Anne presented the proposed changes and noted that the ordinance language had been updated (changes highlighted in the packet). Marshall Wright told the council that the department was staffed at three deputies when he was hired but that funding for the additional position had been moved away in prior years. He asked the council to leave the ordinance at a three-deputy allowance so the town could restore the position when funding permits. Council members expressed concern about passing language that differs from current staffing and emphasized they did not intend to fill the third position this budget year. One council member asked that minutes reflect the intent that the third position would not be filled until 2027 unless funding is found sooner.
Council members moved, seconded and approved the amendment by voice vote.
What happens next
Staff will work with legal counsel to prepare a professionally written legal description of the ordinance change and bring a final document for recordkeeping; the council directed that the minutes reflect the funding intent for the third deputy.
Quotes
"When I was hired, we had 3... If it's not funded, it can't be fulfilled unless the funding appears." — Marshall Wright
"If we approve this, we are approving it based on the ordinance as it's presented, and we are not budgeted for 3 for this year." — Speaker 5
