Mayor Theron B. Hutchings no longer has administrative control of the South Jordan Police Department, following a 3-1 vote by the City Council.
The council voted to transfer administration of the department to City Administrator Richard Warne in what council members said was a move to consolidate all city administrative functions under one director.Councilman Ted W. Sandstrom, who called for the change, said the action is not a reflection on the Hutchings' administration but an effort to streamline city operations.
Councilman Ron Twitchell voted against the motion but said he would not elaborate on his vote. He said he will give his full support to Warne as he has on all other matters in the past. He also suggested that since the motion passed, the council consider giving Warne the opportunity to pursue classes to learn more about administering police work.
Warne believes the change will make no discernible difference in operations. "We've had good teamwork in the past and I would expect that teamwork to continue."
In other business, the council approved ordinances relating to employee safety practices and fire department operating guidelines when responding to fires. The employee safety ordinance responds to a request by the city's insurance company. Warne said by implementing a specific policy, the city can become involved with a risk-management plan officials hope will reduce city insurance premiums.
The fire department ordinance simply provides guidelines for city fire personnel to follow when responding to fire calls.