SAFFORD — The second reading of an ordinance is typically voted on with little fanfare, as debate generally takes place long before the ordinance is introduced and read into the record the first time.
That was not the case Monday, when the Safford City Council narrowly approved the second reading of an ordinance that codifies the responsibility of hiring, supervising and firing of city department heads with the city manager.
The vote to approve was 4-3, with Councilmen Steve McGaughey, Arnold Lopez and Brad Hemphill, and Vice Mayor Richard Ortega voting in the affirmative.
The hang-up was an amendment introduced Monday by Mayor Jason Kouts, giving the City Council final say in the hiring and/or firing of a police chief, contrary to the changes approved during the first reading.
“You have changed your mind about five times,” Lopez said.
“No I have not Arnold. I changed my mind one time. I brought it up one time; one time,” Kouts said.
“The reason there’s so much confusion going on right here is because there’s all the confusion in this Police Department,” Lopez said.
McGaughey said he would not vote in favor of an amendment without seeing it written into the proposed code first. Discussion turned against tabling the matter to have the change written, and Kouts called for the vote, with a 4-3 rejection of putting the hiring of a Police chief as a City Council responsibility.
A follow-up motion to approve the second reading of the updated code as written then narrowly passed.
Under the new code, the city manager, city attorney and city magistrate will all report directly to the City Council, while all other department heads — such as the Police chief, director of Planning and Community Development, City Clerk, Human Resources director, etc. —will be under the direct supervision of the City Manager.
The exception is the Volunteer Fire Department chief, who reports to the city manager but whose appointment each year is voted on by members of the Fire Department and approved by the City Council.
The proposed changes — with the exception of the Fire chief — are how almost all cities that function under the City Council-Manager form of government operate.
The new code will go into effect in 30 days.
Safford is currently seeking applicants for three open department head positions — Police chief, City Clerk and Finance director.
