During the Le Mars city council meeting on Tuesday, the council officially appointed Assistant Fire Chief Steve Schwarz to replace outgoing Fire Chief David Schipper, effective upon Schipper’s retirement in August.
The Fire-Rescue Chief Interview Committee recommended Schwarz to the council after reviewing the four applications for the position. Schwarz has been a member of the department for 25 years, and has served as a Command Officer for 12 years and briefly as Acting Chief in place of Schipper. During the meeting, Chief Schipper asked councilmembers to “give him a chance” and stated that Schwarz was “the most qualified in-house candidate” for the role. Schwarz will be officially sworn in as Chief on August 14th.
Also during the meeting, the council approved a budget amendment adding over $13 million to the current fiscal year’s budget, proceeded with planning a road patching project on Business Highway 75 South, and approved plans to establish a property owner service line protection program. The council is scheduled to meet next on Tuesday, June 2nd.
