City of Carmi Plans to Add to Police Force; Election Filing Dates Announced

The City of Carmi will add to it’s police force.  At Tuesday’s City of Council meeting, Chief Jason Carter revealed the results from their recent testing for a new officer.

Chief Jason Carter:  If we don’t get anybody into this September academy, the next available is January.  Even if we do get somebody into the September academy, it’s 16 weeks long now and then 2-3 months of training once they get back so at the earliest we’re looking at February or March on being able to have somebody able to work shifts by themselves.  We’re at that point where we need to replace him [Chris Pollard] so we can move forward on getting someone into the academy in September.

Alderman Steve Winkleman:  Did you have some candidates?

Carter:  We do.  We went ahead and started advertising for our testing.  Last Saturday, we had 36 applications picked up; 18 applications turned in.  13 people showed up for the POWER Test; 7 passed.  12 people showed up for the written test; 9 passed.  Out of all those, there were only 5 that passed both the POWER and written test and those 5 were interviewed last Thursday and Friday by the police commission.

In regular session, council ran through a handful of business items approving engineering work, legal service invoices, economic development invoices, and also did some housekeeping from the annual audit.  Council passed ordinances that added Stacey Courson to the City of Carmi accounts and removed former employees and also added Brooke Harrison to Carmi Light and Water vendor accounts and removed past employees.

Finally, City Clerk Cynthia Atteberry gave an update on filing dates ahead of the April 1^st, 2025 consolidated election.

Atteberry:  For the consolidated election that will be held on April 1^st, 2025, the dates have changed a little bit this year.  You can come in to pick up a packet on August 20^th of this year and they have to be returned by November 18^th of this year.

Mayor Jeff Pollard:  In the past it was September to December

Atteberry:  First day to file is November the 12^th.

With no executive session or reports from the mayor or standing committees, council adjourned at 5:41pm. Council members Tracy Nelson and Lacey Bradshaw were absent.