BY RITA COOK / Freelance Writer
Body
ITALY – The Italy City Council unanimously voted to terminate the city’s Police Chief, Scott McAuley.
No interim was named to replace McAuley at this time.
McAuley had been placed on leave in October prior to last week’s official termination by the city council.
He had originally been terminated without the council’s approval and had appealed that action.
The item came up at last week’s meeting because Italy is a Type A General Law Municipality, and the police chief is appointed by the council.
Italy Mayor Clinton Sulak-Tovar said, according to a source, the council was not asked to vote because “the attorney said there didn’t need to be one” regarding the chief’s termination in early October.
Under the Type A structure, the police chief position is appointed by the city council.
The circumstances of McAuley’s termination, which occurred without a formal council vote, were therefore inconsistent with how termination authority is generally exercised in Type A municipalities across Texas.
The former chief will be allowed to keep his K-9 Karma, with the decision made due to her age and the fact there is no other K-9 officer in Italy.
There was also a contract with Clear Career Professionals to perform an audit of the police department. That item was tabled by the city council last week.
Council did not mention in the meeting how the $6,000 for the audit would be funded if approved.
Apparently, the Italy Police Department terminated an officer last month due to budget constraints.
At the council meeting, the city attorney also gave notice of his termination as of Nov. 15, 2025.
