The Aurora City Council has approved a resolution aimed at ensuring the city brings some police and fire department hiring practices into compliance with the city’s consent decree.

The resolution passed on Monday requires that the city’s human resources, police and fire departments have a greater role in hiring for entry-level their positions and that chiefs get final say in who is hired, its sponsor Councilmember Dustin Zvonek said. The resolution does not lay out a specific process to attain those goals, and only directs the city manager to work with the commission to meet them, he said.

The consent decree requires those changes, which must be made by May 2023, a city attorney said. If not, it is possible a district court judge would order the city to comply.

The resolution will also require regular reports to the city council about the commission’s progress in making those reforms. Zvonek said he wanted to avoid a scenario in which council learns shortly before the consent decree deadline that the work is not being completed.

Councilmembers did not oppose the changes in Zvonek’s resolution, but some did question the need for the resolution because the commission has said it is already working to meet those consent decree requirements.

Although Zvonek said the work was not taking place before he began drafting the resolution, Councilmember Juan Marcano said the commission has been working in good faith with the independent consent decree monitor.

Commission Chairman Harold Johnson previously said the commission was waiting on a report from the consent decree monitor that examined the city’s hiring practices. That report was released in recent weeks and led to some updates in the commission’s rules for applying to police and fire positions.

The report also outlined a hiring process involving both the city departments and the commission that would comply with the consent decree. The commission has not yet acted on those recommendations.

Zvonek’s resolution stirred up some resistance from the commission when it was proposed, as commissioners weighed whether it would require a change to the city charter. Johnson has also expressed concerns that curbing the commission’s role in hiring could lead to a good ole’ boys hiring culture.