Steven Asher was sworn in Monday in front of a full council room. Asher’s hiring was unanimously approved by the city council.
“I got to sit on the panel and see two very fine police officers compete for this job,” Ward 5 Councilman Ron Schmitt said of Asher’s hiring review process. “I was very proud to be a part of that panel and I make a motion to approve (this item).”
Commander Gary Potter also applied for the position and will continue to work for the Sparks Police Department under Asher.
Ward 3 Councilman Ron Smith seconded the item.
Asher will be paid an annual salary of $135,688 and his contract will have to be reassessed by council on Dec. 31, 2009.
Monday also saw the approval of a handbook amendment for Wildcreek Commercial Properties, which paves the way for a 30-foot sign on the southeast corner of McCarran Boulevard and El Rancho Drive.
The sign would point to businesses in the Wildcreek business park and will replace a 6-foot monument sign.
The council also gave direction on its legislative priorities for the 2010 Congressional session, raising items such as the relocation of a Union Pacific rail yard/fuel tank farm and an energy independence study project as concerns.
The rail yard/fuel tank farm relocation would cost $2 million, which would cover the cost of acquiring the land in Ward 1 and relocating the facilities.
Councilman Mike Carrigan raised concerns that the money could be better spent, while council members Julia Ratti and Ron Smith agreed that the project was a priority that should seek federal funding.
Council members also discussed seeking federal funding for an energy independence project that would assess Sparks’ energy use and aim to make the city’s energy costs self-reliant in a 10-15 year period.
In final comments, Carrigan asked the new police chief to reappear at a future council meeting to give an update on the regional public safety task force that the Sparks PD belongs to.
Councilman Phil Salerno was absent at the meeting.
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