The city and the firefighters’ union may be headed for more legal action, this time over abolishing the battalion chief’s position made vacant by the recent death of David M. Lachenauer.
City Manager Sharon A. Addison is recommending cutting the number of department battalion chiefs from five to four and reassigning Mr. Lachenauer’s responsibilities as the department’s municipal training officer.
The matter came up during a contentious discussion during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Under her recommendation, four battalion chiefs would remain working on the line, saving the city $25,000 a year in salary costs, Ms. Addison said.
On Friday, Fire Chief Dale C. Herman assigned Deputy Chief Russell J. Randall as the new training officer, announcing the move in a one-sentence memo to the department staff.