Hollister council members Monday will consider hiring former Hollister Fire Chief Bill Garringer as the interim chief to replace Chief Mike O’Connor.
O’Connor accepted early retirement as part of the city’s wider offer in the fall to all employees. His departure came on the heels of allegations of nepotism and time card fraud from the firefighters union. An outside investigator ruled those claims were false but did recommend changes to administrative procedures.
Garringer served six years as chief of the Hollister Fire Department and retired at the end of March 2007.
Hollister council members are set to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Hollister City Hall, 375 Fifth St.
The city expects to have Garringer on board for “a couple months” while it employs an outside search firm to find a permanent successor, according to the council agenda. Garringer would be available 30 hours per week at a rate of $110 hourly.
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