TONTITOWN -- Tontitown is considering hiring another police chief -- the city's third since January.
"The city itself, I think, would look better if we officially appointed somebody," Mayor Paul Colvin said Wednesday.
The city has operated without a police chief for about three months. Just who should fill the role is up to the mayor, Alderman Tommy Granata said during a committee meeting Tuesday.
At least two aldermen said they supported hiring Capt. Joey McCormick, who has been performing the duties of a police chief, but they did not forward a recommendation to the mayor.
"It's strictly the mayor's call," Granata said.
Mayors have the power to appoint and remove all department heads, according to Arkansas Code 14-42-110. The position will be advertised in the next couple weeks to give everyone the opportunity to apply, Granata said.
At least two people have applied for the job, Colvin said, even though the city has not advertised it.
McCormick has received the equivalent of the chief's pay and fulfilled those duties since interim Police Chief Denny Upton resigned Jan. 20. McCormick said Tuesday that he wants the position.
Appointing McCormick as chief is in the best interest of Tontitown, Alderman Joe Edgmon said. The police officers already trust McCormick, and the office has run smoothly under him, he said.
Granata cautioned aldermen against supporting McCormick via legislation. The city is being sued for wrongful termination by former Police Chief Kristopher Arthur, whom Colvin fired Jan. 9.
Colvin didn't give a reason for firing Arthur.
Tontitown settled a lawsuit last year brought by an employee who was fired by then-Mayor Jack Beckford. That settlement cost the city about $105,000.
The City Council should stay out of hiring a new police chief, Granata said.
Colvin said he has waited to hire a chief because the City Council recently considered and changed the job description. Changes included making a bachelor's degree a preferred qualification rather than a requirement.
State Desk on 04/27/2015