Willow’s final city marshal?

An elected position in the city of Willow Springs is quietly fading into obscurity and expected to disappear altogether. With Bryan Hogan’s recent filing as a candidate for Willow Springs Alderman in the upcoming municipal election, questions arose about his last elected position – Willow Springs City Marshal.

 

Hogan served as Chief of Police in the Willow Springs Police Department from 2016 to 2022 and was elected in 2017 and 2021 as city marshal. After a serious bout with COVID, Hogan retired in May 2022. 

 

“When Bryan Hogan retired, he resigned from both positions of Police Chief and City Marshal,” commented City Clerk Heather Tooley in an email to Howell County News. “There has not been an election for that position since his retirement, and the reason is because the Council has chosen to do away with that position.”

 

However, there is no letter of resignation for the elected position in Hogan’s personnel file, Tooley confirm. 

 

According to Hogan, it was indeed his intent to retire as both chief of police and city marshal. 

 

“At the end of May 2022, unfortunately, because of medical issues I was forced to retire early from my position,” Hogan wrote to the News. “In its original form, the city marshal position actually put the citizens in charge 100%, much like an elected sheriff of a county. In 2016, the city separated the city marshal from the police chief and changed the ordinance to show that the city marshal had minimal duties with minimal pay while the police chief assumed all duties of the head law enforcement official of the town. In 2016, I was appointed as the city police chief.”

 

The ordinance defining the duties of a city marshal remains on the books in Willow Springs. 

 

“[Hogan] was last elected as City Marshal in 2021 for a 4-year term,” Tooley said. “I believe it was at the time of Bryan's retirement that discussion was held more seriously about doing away with the City Marshal position. We just had not gotten around to it on its own and knew a recodification of our ordinances needed to be conducted, which could include that change. If Bryan had continued in his position of City Marshal, his term would have expired with the April 2025 election.”

 

A recodification process was approved with the 2024 city budget, Tooley said. 

 

“It takes a couple of years for the full process to take place. General Code (the company that makes our ordinances available online) reviews our entire ordinance book and checks to make sure it lines up with all of the current Missouri Statutes. Anything that doesn't line up with statute, is repetitive, or contradicts itself, they bring back to us with suggested changes. We take those suggestions and review with all of our departments. Once everything is set in stone, we bring to Council for a blanket passage/approval/adoption.

 

The City Marshal was previously responsible for collecting fines and providing security in both court and council meetings. After the passage of Senate Bill 5 (post Ferguson and Michael Brown) and new regulations set by the MO Supreme Court and the Office of State Courts Administration, the court clerk is the only one who can collect fines. As for security in both court and council meetings, that is part of the duty of Police Chief.”

 

There will be no election for a city marshal at the municipal election in April 2025. No candidates filed for that office, and the city did not include it in notices of candidate filing.