TIPP CITY — Tipp City Council discussed the first steps in hiring a new assistant fire chief at a study session held prior to Monday’s council meeting.
The discussion came in wake of Assistant Chief David Stockler’s resignation from Tipp City Fire and Emergency Services (TCFES). According to City Manager Tim Eggleston, the assistant chief will also be the fire inspector for the city, with no additional fire inspectors added. With the organizational chart the department follows, the assistant chief will also have authority over the EMS department. Currently, the job posting is planned to be external.
“Right now, we don’t believe there are internal candidates that will meet these requirements. We have quite a young department. Basically, at this point, we’re advertising that anyone can apply that feels they meet this criteria,” Eggleston said.
Mayor Joseph Gibson and Council President Katelyn Berbach asked about searching internally for someone to fulfill the position. Eggleston said that while anyone in the department is welcome to apply for the position, the posting will not be posted internally first due to Chief Cameron Haller’s assessment.
“If we know we have qualified candidates that can move up, we look at those. At this point, we don’t believe we have anybody that’s qualified, so we’re going outside, based on chief Haller’s assessment,” Eggleston said. “In this case, I rely on the chief to say, what is your process, how do you want to select, how do you make sure you have a differentiator between a candidate so that there’s some type of value there so that if one gets above another, they have the ability to say, ‘here’s why.’”
Eggleston said that Haller’s process will be looking through resumes, assessing candidates, and holding interviews. An ordinance is expected to be presented at an upcoming council meeting regarding the salary of the assistant chief position, as well as amending the organizational chart.
Also discussed during the study session was the naming of the fish pond as part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources restoration project along the Great Miami River. At the May 3 council meeting, a motion was passed to name the pond Lake Chamberlain after centenarian Jesse Chamerlain. According to Berbach, the city cannot name the body of water a lake based on ODNR’s rules and specifications on naming bodies of water.
“The important thing is to honor him. That’s what we’re trying to do,” Council Member Frank Scenna said.
Chamberlain moved to Tipp City in 1963 where he went to work for Fifth Third Bank. After retiring from there, around 1989, he began his second career, working for Wenco. He also served on Tipp City Council for several years, and he was a key member of the Tipp City Foundation for 50 years before stepping down in 2020.
Renaming the pond is planned to be placed on the agenda for the July 19 council meeting, and groundbreaking for the project is planned for early July. The project is expected to be completed in October, weather permitting.
