FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The list of contenders for the city’s top police job was narrowed to five this week.

A search committee met Tuesday during a public meeting for a round of 30-minute phone interviews with the 10 finalists for the police chief position.

That list had been narrowed from one of 25 candidates that had been selected by the committee from an original pool of 116 applicants, based on several criteria and a ranking process.

“The committee will present the names to the council Monday, which will decide what to do next,” said Councilman Dan Stankoski, who has led the council’s effort to appoint a new police chief. “I imagine the council will discuss, perhaps at a work session, what the interview format will be. I doubt they would want those interviews to be at a regular council meeting. They will certainly be at a public meeting with proper advance notice given.”

After the new council was seated in November, it undertook a review of those holding positions appointed by the council, including the current police chief, city clerk, treasurer, city attorney and municipal judge. All were reappointed to their jobs, with the exception of then-chief Mike Comalander, now employed as a captain with the police department.

“It was the will of the council to look for an interim chief,” said Stankoski, who would not comment on the reasons why Comalander was not reappointed.

Interim Police Chief Terry Sanders was appointed to that position on Jan. 22. He also applied for the permanent chief job but missed making the top 10 list by one place, according to city records.

The list of 10 finalists was determined by a scoring sheet developed by the human resources department. The scoring sheets were used by each committee member to rank the applicants based on several criteria, and the overall scores were calculated by the HR department.

Stankoski said all of the committee’s recommendations are advisory in nature, and that the council could start from scratch if it so chooses, or select candidates based on its own criteria without regard for what the committee has advised, but he hoped that would not be the case.

“The process has vetted some very good candidates,” Stankoski said. “When you get down from 116 to 10, you’ve already got a good group of people. These were some excellent candidates.”

During the committee’s work, it updated the job description for the position, as well as reviewed and scored the candidate applications. The council followed the committee’s recommendations regarding the job position description and salary range of $85,000 to $110,000.

According to city records, the five finalists for the police chief job are as follows:

•Daniel Busken, who has worked as police chief of Madison, Ala., and Crystal City, Miss. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s in business administration and is a doctoral candidate in business and criminal justice.

•Richard Moss, who has worked as police chief of Woodstock, Ga., and as captain in the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in management.

•Bill Press, who has worked as a commander and captain in the Miami-Dade Police Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a master’s in public administration and a doctorate in global leadership with a focus on corporate and organizational management.

•William “Charlie” Sewell, who has worked as police chief in McMinnville, Tenn. and Morrow, Ga. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in justice administration.

•Curtis VanderKooi, who has worked as a captain in the Grand Rapids Police Department in Michigan. He has bachelor degrees in criminal justice and business administration and a master’s in business administration.

Stankoski said that all 10 finalists were asked the same four questions by committee chairman Vann Saltz, who will present the recommendations to the council Monday night.

The committee is comprised of: Bob Callahan Jr., Pam Caudill, Valarie Chaney, Vann Saltz, Rick Wilson and Mayor Tim Kant, who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. Human Resources Director Rhonda White serves in an advisory capacity and Stankoski as the council’s liaison.

“I couldn’t be happier with how the process turned out,” Stankoski said. “The city will be well-served by whomever is chosen.”