Mayor responds
Butler Mayor Ben Smith placed Police Chief Ron Brown and Deputy Chief Dave Adam on paid administrative leave Thursday morning. But the mayor and city council took no other action regarding the police union's recent vote of no confidence in both men.
Smith said at the city council meeting Thursday evening that he placed Brown and Adam on paid leave and named Capt. James Hollobaugh as the officer in charge of the department for a yet undetermined length of time.
Adam is already on light or modified duty due to an on-the-job injury.
Lt. Chad Rensel, acting police union president, was contacted after the council meeting, but declined to comment.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 32, the union representing the department's 21 rank-and-file officers, announced this week that the members unanimously passed a no-confidence vote on Brown and Adam in June.
The union said the issues that prompted the vote included a lack of leadership and poor decision making, lack of strategy in addressing the current criminal activity in the city and the lack of cooperation with media.
Earlier this week Smith said he and council members met with FOP representatives, who spelled out the union's concerns about department leadership in a June 26 letter. He said the union's no confidence vote does not require him to take action.
He said he also met with Brown and Adam to discuss the situation.
Neither Brown nor Adam attended Thursday's council meeting, which they normally do.
In other business:
Council approved a $35,000 loan from the Butler Downtown Revolving Loan fund to Scott and Kristine Taggart to renovate the first floor of their building at 118-120 E. Jefferson St. for a Brick Oven Pizza restaurant.Council agreed to begin advertising for applicants for the fire chief's position, which has been vacant since 2016.An ordinance authorizing the city to enter into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Butler Township to share the chief and the agreement were approved.The chief will be based in the city and work in the township as needed.In some infrastructure matters, council adopted a resolution to apply for a $1.47 million state grant for a streetscape improvement project on Main Street. The city would have to provide a 30 percent match.Council awarded a $74,950 contract to replace the Cunningham Street culvert to Bauer Excavating.Council awarded a $59,155 contract to EC Masonry to repair masonry, steps and repoint the exterior of the City Building.Council ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the FOP. The contract includes pay raises of 0.5 percent for this year and 2019, and 0.75 percent in 2020.A police officer was hired. Council hired Ryan Doctor as a patrolman to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Sgt. William Mayhugh.
