Whitwell, city council negotiate starting salary
Chief will make $36,000 per year, for starters
Staff reporter
The surprise of the night at the Marion City Council meeting July 2, was when a new police chief was quickly hired.
Just a few days earlier at a special city council meeting June 28, the council discussed resumes of 18 applicants for the police chief position. The council had narrowed the field to four applicants and interviews were to be scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 16.
According to a memo from the city administrator, the next step in the process would have been a background investigation of the selected candidates, and participation in an assessment center.
A final interview then would have been conducted with the finalists and an offer of employment made after the final interview.
Instead, mayor Mary Olson added an executive session to the July 2 agenda to include discussion of the police chief position.
After the 20-minute executive session and the regular meeting had reconvened, the council approved, 5-0, the hiring of Marion County Sheriff Deputy and former Marion Police Officer Josh Whitwell.
A special meeting then was scheduled Friday with Whitwell to negotiate his salary.
At Friday's meeting, following 45 minutes of executive sessions that included city administrator, city attorney, the council, and Whitwell, the council approved a starting salary of $36,000 per year for Whitwell with a wage review in six months. Whitwell also will be entitled to city benefits. His first day will be Tuesday.
Chief Michel Soyez, who had been the chief of police for six years, was making more than $40,000 when he resigned April 23.
In other business:
— Another topic discussed at the special meeting June 28 was the reorganizing of the police department by relocating a break room and photo ID room to allow for more office space.
The council also discussed options regarding utilizing space in the ambulance building.
— During Friday's special meeting, the council also approved a change order from APAC, the contractor for street projects.
Olson said she observed work being started at the intersection of Santa Fe and Main streets and wasn't happy with the layer of oil only. She said she talked with APAC and was told that's what was ordered by city officials.
City administrator David Mayfield then was notified and instructed to have the intersection properly repaired. The old asphalt was removed, a rock base was laid with eight inches of asphalt on top. The administrator said the city was charged the same per unit price as for the remainder of the project.
"If we're not going to do some of these things right, there's no point in doing them," Olson said.
The change order, a total additional cost to the city of $9,964, also included skin patching and single chip sealing in the 700 and 800 blocks of Maple Street that were overlooked by city officials when the project was planned.
The next regular city council meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the city building.
