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Highlands Today

AP Considers Merging Police, Fire Chief Positions

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By Douglas  Carman | Highlands Today

Published: February 13, 2008

AVON PARK — Even though the Avon Park City Council voted 4-1 to continue its police chief search, a budget crunch anticipated after Amendment 1 passed last month has prompted city officials to consider merging the police and fire chief positions.

The police chief position aside, all other city job openings were frozen Monday as the city mulled over numerous cutbacks. That includes the city manager's spot, meaning Sarah Adelt will continue filling the position as interim city manager, at least through the city's March audit.

As the council verbally approved the freeze without a vote, council member George Hall mentioned unifying the police and fire departments, which would be led by a public safety director who would replace the two chiefs.

City Attorney Gerald Buhr added that the town of Mulberry, which he represents along with Avon Park and Zolfo Springs, has already started using a public safety director to oversee the city's police and fire divisions.

Mulberry named its public safety director after losing a fire chief. Avon Park Fire Department Chief Terry Feickert is nearing retirement.

After voters in Florida approved Amendment 1 two weeks ago, Adelt said that the city will expect a $192,000 loss in annual tax revenue. This prompted the council to begin looking at the two department heads, along with other areas, to cut from the budget.

Buhr and the council suggested to Adelt to begin looking for police chief candidates with a lot of management experience.

Adelt said her research suggested that a candidate with a management background would be better able to supervise a fire department as well as a police department.

However, Adelt also said many of the remaining 14 candidates had extensive law enforcement but little management experience.

Acting Police Chief Michael Rowan spoke against the idea, saying it didn't work in Sebring.
Rowan is one of the 14 candidates for the police chief's position and is also running for the sheriff's position.

Hall, who gave the dissenting vote on letting the police chief search continue, told Highlands Today Tuesday that he wanted the city to stop the search and look into merging right away.

Hall even suggested that the city should consider dissolving the entire police department or possibly the fire department as well, turning protection over to the county.

"We need to have meaningful dialogue as to not only support Cmdr. Rowan in running for sheriff but in taking the entire police department with him," Hall said. He also targeted the recreational department and the Avon Park Community Center.

"I think we're at a point in time where we need to re-evaluate everything we do from top to bottom."
At the meeting, however, council member Joe Wright said stopping the hiring process could have repelled the candidates, and cost the city its credibility.

Though Mayor Sharon Schuler said she would rather see the departments trim their budgets first before they started shedding jobs, the entire council agreed to consider getting rid of the community center. No action was taken on it at Monday's meeting, however.

The freeze will be in effect at least until the budget audit is completed at the end of March. Adelt said that the police search committee was expected to have a recommendation by the first week of March.

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