Steve Prosser, the public services officer, had been filling the role since the previous code enforcement officer left the city in early 2003. Prosser, too, resigned in October.

A part-time hire has been working as the code enforcement officer for the last two months.

At its meeting, the council decided that the position was an essential one and decided to make an exception to the staff hiring freeze currently in force as part of budget restrictions.

Vice Mayor Norman Kline said that the city had decided to merge the functions of the code enforcement officer and the public services officer, creating one position. He said that the city would begin the search immediately and expected to fill the vacancy soon.

According to city documents, the duties of the officer include enforcement of ordinances, building and zoning laws, city and state codes, noise abatement and animal control. The code enforcement officer also deals with parking violations. The position pays $65,000 annually.

City officials indicated at the council meeting that they were hoping to hire a candidate with experience as a code enforcement officer. "We noticed that once Prosser had gained some experience, he was no longer coming back to us with the same kind of questions," said City Attorney Richard Taylor.