VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) — Oil City Police Chief Bob Wenner has given notice to the City that he will be stepping down in March to fill the vacant Sugarcreek Borough Police Chief position.

At a special meeting of the Sugarcreek Borough Council on Wednesday, council members unanimously passed a motion to call for Wenner to meet with the borough’s Civil Service Commission, one of the final steps in the hiring process.

Once he receives the commission’s approval, which seems to be all but a formality at this point, he can officially be appointed by council and begin serving as Chief. According to Sugarcreek Borough Mayor Charles McDaniel, with the commission’s approval, Wenner would begin serving as chief on March 1.

Wenner told exploreVenango.com that he has given a tentative six weeks notice to Oil City stating that he will resign his position there and take on the position in Sugarcreek Borough.

“I’m looking forward to working with Sugarcreek Borough officials, officers, and the community,” said Wenner.

Wenner has prior law enforcement experience in Sugarcreek, having worked as a patrolman in the Borough from 1985 to 1989 before moving on to the Oil City Police Department. He worked his way up through the ranks in Oil City, with promotions to Sergeant and then Lieutenant in the late 1990s before being named chief in 2002.

The position that Wenner will be filling in Sugarcreek has been vacant since August when Matt Carlson retired. Carlson had served as the Sugarcreek Borough Police Chief since 2009.

Since Carlson’s retirement, Lt. Ryan Ashbaugh, who has been with Sugarcreek Borough Police Department for nearly 20 years, has been serving as the interim chief of police. Ashbaugh also interviewed for the chief position and had a great deal of community support, including several individuals who spoke in his favor at Wednesday’s meeting.