The Butler Police Department now has a deputy chief.

City council Tuesday night created the position and promoted Lt. David Adam to it.

“I’m looking for some structural changes in the department, and the union agreed to sign off on it,” Mayor Tom Donaldson said.

The mayor said he met with union leaders Monday to discuss the change.

“They agreed to allow the creation of a supervisory, nonbargaining position of deputy chief,” Donaldson said.

Council had previously discussed the position during executive sessions, the mayor said.

Once official, the new deputy chief will be considered an appointed employee, like Chief Ron Brown, and will no longer be in the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 32, union. That union represents the city’s 22 officers.

Donaldson said he expects Adam to assume the post at the beginning of June.

The deputy chief’s new salary will be $70,500, Donaldson said. Adam’s current salary is about $63,500.

Donaldson did not say exactly where the addition funding for the position will come from, but said the department will stay within the “parameters of the existing budget.”

The police department accounts for about $2.1 million of the city’s $8.3 million budget.

Adam, who has been with the department for 25 years, will be responsible for assisting Brown with his duties and will be in command when Brown is away.

“We need to maintain that chain of command,” Donaldson said.

Adam said he is looking forward to his new role.

“I’m ready to assist the chief in any way I can,” he said.

The city has had two captains since Donaldson promoted Brown to his title in January 2014. At that time former Chief Ron Fierst returned to his previous position of captain alongside Capt. David Dalcamo.

Below the two captains are four lieutenants, including Adam, and four sergeants.

Donaldson said there will be internal promotions to replace Adam’s lieutenant position, but said the department will not hire a new officer.

Donaldson also said Tuesday plans to move the department’s desk sergeant position are still under way.

“I expect that to occur sometime after July 1,” he said.

The move would put the officer on patrol and turn over dispatch responsibilities to Butler County Emergency Services. That department must hire additional dispatchers and add new equipment to handle the expected extra call volume.