ADAIR VILLAGE - The city of Adair Village wants to recruit a police chief and officials Tuesday night decided to bring in the professionals to find one.

"We are contracting with a consultant to help us with our recruitment," said City Administrator Drew Foster.

The firm is ESCi of Wilsonville, and the contract amount is $7,850, with an optional background investigation for $2,900.

Foster said the city has budgeted $143,000 for public safety.

Next up for the city is putting together an ad-hoc group to help in the search process, Foster said. The group will include the mayor, a representative from the fire district and others.

"Some individuals in town have said they are interested," Foster said. "Some have a background in public safety. We will talk about the traits we want in a police chief, what we think we need, and put together a job description."

Currently, the Benton County Sheriff's Office responds to law enforcement calls from Adair Village.

The city usually employs a part-time code enforcement officer, but that employee has moved on and the city is advertising for the position.