KIMBERLY—For the second time in less than a year, the Kimberly Police Department is breaking in a new chief.

The resignation of former chief Steven Stuart was announced on Monday night at Kimberly’s final city council meeting of the month. Stuart followed 17-year veteran Bill Isbell, who retired in mid-2017. His successor, Ricky T. Pridmore, is already in place.

Pridmore had served as a sergeant in Kimberly for nearly eight months before his promotion, and has six years of full-time experience in the field.

“We got a new chief about eight months ago, but he had a better job that came open and he left on good terms,” said Pridmore of Stuart. “The department has come farther than it was when he started. We just want to keep the department going [in the right direction] to better the community.”

Pridmore, who stepped in as the interim chief last week, was named a permanent replacement on Monday night in city hall.

“He has a ton of credentials. He’s grown up in the community and I think he’s a great asset,” said Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock. “He has a tie to the community and that means a lot to me.”

Pridmore previously worked as an investigator for the Warrior Police Department and expects to remain involved with them on a part-time basis moving forward.

Ellerbrock, who began serving as mayor in 2014, announced his plan to step away when his term comes to an end in two years.

“I will not be mayor when this term ends. That will be the end of my term, so in this two years I would like to get some things done,” said Ellerbrock on Monday.

One project he wants to tackle involves councilman Darnell Blankenship, who he chose to spearhead two community workdays per year. Those days will be set aside to handle cosmetics: cutting grass, cleaning the park and more. The first workday is tentatively scheduled for a date in the spring with another to follow shortly before school opens in August.

Ellerbrock also wants to begin negotiating contracts for a disaster recovery plan, which the city was lacking in the spring of 2014 when a devastating EF-1 tornado destroyed the Kimberly Fire Department along with several more structures.

In other business, the council also:

• heard an announcement that the fire department will be getting 10 new radios on Feb. 14, courtesy of the Jefferson County 911 board.
• passed a vote to repair a city vehicle for $665.48.
• passed a vote to buy new tires for a police Tahoe for $527.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.