Oxford Village officials instructed their attorney, Bob Davis, “to stop all work on any police chief contract until further direction” is provided by council.

That was the motion approved by council in a 4-1 vote following a closed session during a special meeting Jan. 20. Councilwoman Maureen Helmuth voted against it.

Village President Sue Bossardet directed all questions to the attorney.

Davis had been using Police Chief Mike Neymanowski’s old contract as a basis for drafting a new one. As a result, the attorney wrote an opinion letter that pointed out some “deficiencies” and areas of concern in the prior contract.

Discussion of that letter was the basis for the closed session and its contents remain confidential under the veil of attorney-client privilege.

Neymanowski’s previous three-year employment agreement expired in September 2015. Basically, he’s been working on a month-to-month basis in “good faith” under the terms of the old contract, Davis said.

A retired Detroit cop who spent 30 years with the city, Neymanowski has served as chief since the formation of the village department in 2000. He is an at-will employee who serves “at the pleasure of the village manager,” according to the old contract.

“I think the council wants to regroup and decide what a new contract for any police chief (now or in the future) should look like,” Davis explained.

When asked what council’s next action will be, Davis replied, “I don’t know.”

“Until council meets and decides how they want to handle any new police chief contract, they’ve asked me to stop (work),” the attorney said. “They want to get together and decide what they want to see with respect to any police chief contract going forward.”

Davis explained the village has been trying to get its employment contracts “in order so they fit the position, not the person.”

“I redid the village manager’s contract so that contract would be applicable to any village manager,” he said. “It’s not tailored to one person.”

Davis noted he intends to do the same thing with regard to the contracts for the village clerk and the superintendent of the department of public works.

When asked if the motion had anything to do with the current chief or his performance, Davis replied, “No action was taken (by council) with respect to Chief Neymanowski.”

“His name’s not in that motion,” he said. “There was no discussion at all on his performance.”