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Trexel Does a 180 — Turns Down Fire Chief Job

By on November 30, 2012
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BURLINGTON CITY MANAGER JIM FERNEAU HAS ANNOUNCED THAT ACTING FIRE CHIEF MATT TREXEL HAS DECIDED NOT TO ACCEPT THE POSITION ON A PERMANENT BASIS…AT LEAST PARTLY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T PAY ENOUGH. FERNEAU SAYS TREXEL WAS MAKING JUST UNDER 64-THOUSAND DOLLARS AS A BATTALION CHIEF…HE’S PAID ABOUT 71-THOUSAND-500 AS ACTING CHIEF…AND HE WAS OFFERED 77-THOUSAND DOLLARS-A-YEAR TO BECOME CHIEF PERMANENTLY. THAT’S THE SAME AS POLICE CHIEF DOUG BEAIRD…BUT LESS THAN THE 86-THOUSAND DOLLARS FORMER CHIEF TOM CLEMENTS IS BEING PAID AS DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS…AND WOULD’VE BEEN AT THE LOW END OF SALARIES PAID TO FIRE CHIEFS IN OTHER IOWA CITIES OF BETWEEN 20- AND 30-THOUSAND PEOPLE.

IN A PRESS RELEASE ISSUED THIS(FRI) AFTERNOON, FERNEAU SAYS THAT HE IS “VERY DISAPPOINTED AS HE FELT TREXEL WOULD BE AN ASSET TO THE ORGANIZATION AND HE WOULD MOVE THE DEPARTMENT FORWARD. TREXEL WILL REMAIN IN THE POSITION OF ACTING CHIEF UNTIL A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT CAN BE FOUND. FERNEAU SAYS THAT’LL PROBABLY TAKE 3 TO 4 MONTHS.

TREXEL HAS BEEN ACTING CHIEF SINCE FERNEAU DEMOTED FORMER CHIEF TOM CLEMENTS IN SEPTEMBER. THE RESOLUTION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO OFFICIALLY APPROVE TREXEL’S APPOINTMENT WILL BE PULLED FROM MONDAY’S MEETING AGENDA.