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Councilmember LeTourneau referenced the amount of time the fire department puts into their <br />fire prevention and education services and stated that he could see this position evolving into a <br />larger scale as well. He stated that he could support putting a sworn officer into the position but <br />would like to see the three to five year plan for the position. <br />Councilmember Shryock agreed that it would be helpful to have additional information on how <br />the position will be molded over time. She stated that perhaps the decision could be made at that <br />time. <br />Mayor Strommen stated that she would want to know the type of pressure the police department <br />would face if that decision to fill the position is delayed. She stated that the department runs lean <br />as it is and she would like to see the sworn officer filling the position, as it would provide <br />flexibility as that employee could "wear multiple hats". She agreed that a longer term plan could <br />be developed for discussion but did not think that the decision would need to be delayed. <br />Police Chief Katers explained that the hiring process does take time, noting that if the posting <br />process begins in July that person would probably not be hired until December. He stated that in <br />the meantime he had to pull an officer from patrol to temporarily fill the position. He stated that <br />it would be important to have that additional flexibility because it is a small department. He <br />believed that any additional opportunities that can be created in the department would be <br />beneficial for those employees interested in a lateral position change. <br />Councilmember Shryock stated that she would agree with filling the position with a sworn <br />officer but questioned if the job position had been updated appropriately to describe the full <br />scope of job duties. She stated that perhaps the decision could be delayed until the next Council <br />meeting when the job duties could be better defined in order to accurately describe the position. <br />Police Chief Katers stated that he would recommend that the position to be posted would be for a <br />police officerpatrol position. He explained that a current patrol officer could then be moved <br />laterally into this position. <br />Councilmember Riley questioned if the officer chosen for the positon would also be pulled for <br />patrol duties. <br />Police Chief Katers replied that this would be a rotating position and confirmed that the officer <br />could also provide patrol duties. He stated the feedback he has received is that officers do not <br />want to be stagnant in one position or shift time for too long and that is why there are some <br />rotating positions, such as an investigation position in the department. He explained that this <br />position would actually become a rotating community resource position. <br />City Administrator Ulrich agreed that there would be a benefit to providing this opportunity <br />within a small department, which would allow officers to try a different way to serve the <br />community. <br />City Council Work Session / June 23, 2015 <br />Page 3 of 6 <br />