The meeting convened at 4:30 p.m. with a prayer led by Chief Thompson, followed by approval of previous minutes and departmental reports. The work session featured an extensive presentation from Police Chief Thompson on department operations, new personnel, canine therapy dog Gus, equipment upgrades, and federal programs. The city manager provided updates on infrastructure projects. The 4:30 session adjourned at approximately 5:21 p.m., with the 5:30 regular meeting to follow.
That will be led by who doesn't know it yet. Commissioner Stroke. Please remain standing as Chief Thompson says our invitation. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to go out here tonight and conduct the business of the city. We thank you for these commissioners and how they serve the city and the decisions that they'll make tonight. Just pray you'd be with them, lift them up to you, Lord. Let's be with our citizens. Thank you for getting us all through the morning without anything significant other than a few minor fender vendors. It's in your son's name we pray and we thank you. Amen. I will uh officially call the meeting to order. And we'll just go and take a look and review the minutes from February 17, 2026 special, 430, regular 530, and March 3, 2026 special, 430 and 530. Is there a motion? Motion by Commissioner Tools, second by Commissioner Strode. Any thing anyone wants to corrections, additions all in favor, aye. Any opposed by like sign, motion carries. Item three, departmental and agency reports. Is there anything anyone would like to highlight? If not, we'll take a motion to approve departmental and agency reports. So move. Motion by Commissioner Chenaud. Is there a second? Second by Commissioner Strode. Any further discussion? All in favor, aye. Any opposed by like signs? Motion carries. Hello, Commissioner. That's not a good thing. Item four, informational items. Again, as we say, that's just for information. Uh so those things are in your packets to be able to review. We'll now move to our work session, and it's a pretty exciting evening because we have a not only are we going to introduce a new member of the police force in a little bit, we're introducing a four-legged uh uh new employee of the Winchester police department who has captured all of our hearts. So Chief Thompson, I'm gonna turn uh the program the session over to you and let you update us on the police department and introduce a precious little item. It's up to you. Spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, uh training five members in the department. Uh Captain Charles is his primary handler. Uh Cable Lane, myself, and Steve's white warren who works with school systems, all got officially certified with us last week to handle them. Gus is uh the trainer that goes within all that came out in Indiana. Gus is a working dog. And uh there's a big difference when he gets some play on it, he does get a little bit, but he has a very short schedule. He's got windows that he eats in, he's got a bedtime, he's got a bath time. Uh some reason Steve stays in his office for two hours with the door, shut the lights off there. Uh-huh. Now we know. He comes to us very well trained. We were all very impressed with it. Very pleased with his training how uh he's coming around. He's very calm. It's excellent with the children.