FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The next Chief of Police will earn between $85,000 and $110,000 a year, according to the search committee that developed a draft job description for that position this week, which will be presented to the City Council at its Feb. 9 meeting.

Fairhope Police Department Capt. Mike Comalander, who served as chief from 2006 until Jan. 22, earned $83,096 per year in that position, according to city records, and continues to earn that in his current position, Mayor Tim Kant said Thursday night after the search committee meeting.

The new City Council that took office last November did not immediately appoint Comalander to a four-year position as chief, but put Councilman Dan Stankoski in charge of a process to review what action to take regarding the position.

During a special meeting held Jan. 22, the council appointed Terry Sanders as interim Chief of Police for three months. Comalander’s rank was changed to captain. He had submitted his resignation earlier that month but it was not officially accepted, Kant said.

Comalander joins Capt. Steven Griffis, who earns $73,060 a year, as the only other captain in the department, according to city records.

Kant said there have been discussions regarding Comalander’s salary, but no decision has yet been reached whether any change should be made in his salary as result of his change in rank.

Comalander has been on a medical leave of absence, Kant said Thursday night. According to the human resource department, the paid leave of absence began Jan. 20.

The current Chief of Police Search Committee was convened to develop a job description and selection process regarding the hiring by the council of a permanent police chief for a period to end with the next municipal elections in 2012.

“I appreciate everyone serving on this committee to select a chief of police,” Stankoski said Tuesday at the first of two search committee meetings this week.

Stankoksi serves as council liaison to the committee and selected the following people to serve on it: Robert B. Callahan Jr., Pam Caudill, Valerie Chaney, Kant, Vann Saltz and Rick Wilson. Rhonda White, the city’s human resource administrator, serves in an advisory capacity on the committee.

The committee selected Saltz as its chairman Tuesday night.

The committee met again Thursday to finalize changes to the job description that the committee expects to have advertised early next week in local, state and national publications.

The committee agreed Thursday to have the application period end March 6, and that they would meet again at 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 10.

“We’ll meet then to see where we are,” Stankoski said. “We’ll go over the applications we’ve received at that time.”

The committee is expected to interview a top list of finalists for the position and make its recommendations for candidates to the council regarding who it should interview. The council will then interview the finalists and make a job offer to one of them, according to the committee.

The human resources department uses a spread sheet to determine how to rank candidates based on a point system, with points given for various criteria as set out in the job description, White said.

She said the complete job description for the position will be posted on the city’s Web site at www.cofairhope.com.

The job description was last revised in 2001, according to the committee.

One change the committee made Thursday in the job description was to require that the applicant have a college degree.

The committee also discussed the need for the new police chief to have community and media relations skills.

“The chief’s got to be visible in the community, and that needs to be at the top of the list,” Kant said. “You want him in the front of the camera for important things. Generally speaking, people want to see the chief out in public.”