Mike Musich was appointed International Falls police chief at a special session of the Falls City Council Monday.

The council unanimously approved Mayor Shawn Mason’s recommendation to appoint Musich to the position. Under city charter, the mayor accepts candidates ranked by the Civil Service Commission and recommends one of those candidate for appointment by the council.

The council action also set the annual salary of the police chief position at $74,900.

Mason said Musich is very deserving of the position and that the council has full confidence in him.

Following the action, the council posed with Musich for photos taken by his family.

Musich, 46, began his career as a police officer in 1985 in a small town in North Dakota. In 1986, he began serving the South Falls and later the International Falls police departments.

Musich attended Hibbing Vo Tech’s law enforcement program and then returned to Bemidji State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

After the meeting, Musich told The Journal he was pleased by the council’s appointment and said he would discuss his plans for the department at a later date.

“Because of the budget constraints now, we lost two positions, so we are looking at restructuring a little bit,” he said of the immediate future.

Musich is married to Donna Musich and they have two children.

In other business Monday, the council agreed to modify the police officer’s union contract by adding 43-cents per hour to each patrol officer’s hourly wage. In related action, the council approved a formal contract with the Borderland Humane Society for pound management services.

Paul Eklund, chairman of the city’s Human Resources Committee, explained the increase in hourly wage for patrol officers is intended to compensate them for picking up stray cats and dogs within the city limits. The additional duties are a result of the elimination of the three poundmaster positions within the police department, made possible with the Borderland Humane Society contract, he noted.

Mason noted that the additional money was made available because of a $20,000 savings made with the elimination of the poundmaster positions and the society contract. She said $10,000 of the savings will be redistributed to the patrol officers in the form of the wage increase.

The council approved a contract with the society, to begin Wednesday, at $27,000 per year, payable monthly. The city will own and maintain the pound, and pay for animal food and supplies, trash collection and utilities including phone at the pound. City police will provide primary transportation of stray animals to the pound and the city will maintain financial support of other society operations by providing $5,000 per year while the contract remains in effect.

In exchange, the society will provide cat and dog care and feeding, transportation to and from veterinarians and payment of vet fees, cleaning of the pound, trapping of cats, serve as a public contact for adoption of animals, coordinate the return of found animals to owners, and maintain records for animals seized. Either party may cancel the contract with 90 days written notice.

The new structure of pound management will allow for improved services at the pound while saving International Falls taxpayer $10,000, Mason said.

She also noted that the pound will be open four hours each day, instead of one hour per day as was offered under the poundmaster structure.

Councilor Tim “Chopper” McBride also noted that the changes have allowed the creation of two to three part-time jobs in the community that are being advertised by the Borderland Humane Society.