The Petaluma community will have input in the selection process of the next police chief. Lt. Danny Fish has been serving as interim chief for three years, saving the city about $600,000 in salary and benefits during that time, City Manager John Brown said.

The Petaluma City Council decision to spend about $10,000 trying to prevent an asphalt plant from opening on its outskirts commits it to a legal battle that may cost many times that, although it won’t bear the cost alone.

A former city councilman and longtime critic of Petaluma government is suing the city over what he claims is the misappropriation of millions of dollars in sewage treatment fees. Bryant Moynihan long has challenged how the city uses the money it collects from water and wastewater ratepayers, claiming it has been used to cover mismanagement of the city budget and to augment overspending in the general fund.

Petaluma’s City Council voted 6-1 on Monday night to continue its legal fight against the Dutra Materials asphalt plant after two local groups pledged $10,000 to help fund the battle. The money should cover about half the city’s costs to appeal a ruling by Superior Court Judge Rene Chouteau, who dismissed a lawsuit challenging the asphalt plant. Did the City Council make the right decision to appeal the ruling?

Petaluma planning commissioners rejected the final environmental impact report on the proposed Deer Creek Village shopping center in a meeting Tuesday that lasted until midnight.The wide-ranging, four-hour discussion often strayed from the task of determining whether the report was sufficient to recommend certification by the City Council. But ultimately, five of the six commissioners present determined the report was inadequate.

The Petaluma City Council decided Monday night to evaluate whether to appeal a judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit trying to halt the Dutra Materials asphalt plant. In a closed-session discussion, the council agreed to analyze whether there are legal grounds for an appeal and how much it would cost to continue the fight.

As a process gets underway to appoint a permanent police chief in Petaluma, Interim Police Chief Dan Fish is facing allegations from his ex-wife that he concealed an affair with a married police department employee at the time he was appointed to the post in April 2009.

A Sonoma County judge has dismissed the lawsuit challenging approval of the Dutra Materials asphalt plant, the controversial land use project slated for 38 acres south of Petaluma. Judge Rene Chouteau dismissed all claims brought against the county, Dutra and its business partners by the City of Petaluma, a group of five nonprofit groups and several individuals.

On Monday, a proposal to lift the Petaluma’s 4-year-old ban on marijuana dispensaries stalled in a 3-3 deadlock. Mayor David Glass said he might have supported the proposal three months ago, but the recent federal crackdown has tempered his views on medical marijuana. “I just don’t think at this time, in this environment, it’s the right thing to do because of the risks that are there,” he said. Do you agree with the council’s decision?

The Petaluma City Council is again taking a stand in the foreclosure crisis. On Monday, the council voted 6-0 to throw its backing behind state Attorney General Kamala Harris’ recent decision to form an alliance with the attorney general of Nevada to investigate mortgage fraud.