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Council approves engineer title change amid debate over police staffing
Summary
Council approved a title change to chief deputy for an engineering position and scheduled a deputy engineer hire; during debate a councilmember said the police chief has sought an additional officer for four years, prompting discussion about whether budget reallocations can fund new officers.
The Chesterton Town Council approved a title change affecting the engineering team and authorized steps to hire a deputy engineer. The council discussed whether funds freed when the town manager position was eliminated could support additional police officers — one councilmember said the police chief has sought an extra officer for four years and urged prioritizing public safety.
Councilmember (speaker 3) said, "...we have been asking for an additional officer for 4 years. This is a public safety issue." The chair responded that he supports adding an officer "100%" if funds are available and said the town had reallocated responsibilities when it removed the town manager position and moved to a part-time economic development role. After discussion the motion to change the title to chief deputy was put to voice vote and carried.
Engineering staff said the deputy engineer posting will help with in-house projects and the MS4 stormwater program. Council members emphasized balancing economic development staffing needs with maintaining boots-on-the-ground public safety coverage.
