Butler City council will hold a special, emergency meeting next week. And in the meantime, the mayor has agreed to postpone the demotion of the city's fire chief.

Councilwoman Kathy Kline initially said the emergency meeting scheduled for Wednesday would tackle the issue of city finances. However, when asked if the planned demotion of Fire Chief George “Nick” Ban could also be on the agenda she said, “After what has transpired over the past few days, I see the two topics as one and the same.”

In a controversial move on Monday, Donaldson announced he was demoting Ban, a 25-year veteran of the fire department effective midnight Saturday. Ban would return to his former rank of lieutenant.

The move has been met with a variety of reactions, including surprise and anger from some members of the community and council.

Council members pondered having an emergency meeting this week but couldn't meet the legal requirement to advertise the meeting in time. Therefore, the meeting now is slated for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the City Building, 140 W. North St. and will be properly advertised, Kline said.

“I'm guessing it will be a lively discussion,” Donaldson said.

Kline said only that she hopes that during the meeting, “we will bring level heads to the table and work as a council ... not as individuals.”

Council's next regularly scheduled voting meeting is April 28.