The Sheridan City Council will now decide who serves as Chief of the Sheridan Fire Department.

According to the Sheridan Headlight newspaper, the council approved legislation that makes the change and gives the council the sole authority to select and hire the chief.

Previously, members of the volunteer fire department voted on who they wanted to serve as Chief but according to Mayor Joe Wise, that method has become outdated.

“The Fire Department has historically been an entity of the City of Sheridan,” Wise said to the newspaper. “The city and the council has always trusted the volunteers at the fire department to select their own chief as that individual would be the most experienced and the one they trusted the most. But times have changed. There are a lot more paid employees down there and we felt it was time for the city to have the ultimate authority in regards to selecting a fire chief.”
At the same meeting, current chief Ben Hammond was selected unanimously to retain his position.