By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
After months of uncertainty about the status of the City of Burlington fire chief position – and who, exactly, was filling it – the process was officially clarified Tuesday night.
The city’s Police and Fire Commission approved the hiring process for a new chief and confirmed it would be a full-time, paid position.
“There’s enough work there,” said Mayor Bob Miller. “To stay on top of things requires a full-time person.”
Perry Howard abruptly resigned in December, though the resignation is not set to take effect until June. However, Howard’s status and job description changed, as he is now serving as the director of fire services for the city, helping with union contracts and similar issues.
Longtime firefighter Mark Strasser has stepped into the interim chief roll.
Howard was at the center of a disagreement between some members of the City Fire Department and Burlington Area Rescue Squad in the summer of 2014. That situation, while publicly resolved, had seemed to lead to lingering hard feelings.
The city publicly backed Howard at every opportunity, including the announcement of his resignation.
Shortly before Howard was hired, the city completed a cooperative study with the Burlington Area Rescue Squad and the Town of Burlington Fire Department through the consulting firm McGrath.
That study identified a number of ways the three departments could better work together.
Now, with roughly three months to go in Howard’s contract with the city, the hiring process will begin. Miller said Tuesday night that the application deadline for the position would be April 15, and Police and Fire Commission Chairman John Hotvedt said that the hiring process would then include an application review as well as telephone interviews with City Administrator Carina Walters, Miller and Strasser.
The commission, Hotvedt said, would then narrow the field and conduct an assessment center – a practical job interview giving applicants a chance to solve real-world, everyday job situations that the city has used in all of its recent staff hirings.
The Police and Fire Commission would then conduct interviews, hold an open house and then potentially make a recommendation on whom the city should hire.
Hotvedt said discussions with city staff in deciding how to move forward with the fire chief position went well.
“I think we came up with a good process we feel good about,” Hotvedt said.
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So if I understand this correctly, the taxpayers are shelling out big bucks for six months of Perry pushing pencils?
…and what should make the average taxpayer even angrier is Perry isn’t allowed at the firehouse or allowed to come to any calls the fire department has. It gets better, whenever you as a city taxpayer asks why, you get told ‘no comment’.So, we have a fire chief that is taking a decent salary and can’t perform 98% of his duties and the city won’t tell anyone why????? Pretty crappy way to spend our tax dollars and treat our citizens in my opinion!!!
Hiring a full time chief at the salary range listed will continue to be a nighmare. If you look at area career or combination departments, the salary for their lieutenants is over what they are offering potential Burlington Chief canidates. It will continue to attract “hobby chiefs” looking for something to do after retirement. Look at what happened to the city and Waterford. Same issue.
Well DJ at least they got rid of the Sheriff’s DEPARTMENT! They will get better service with less hassle.