FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): The Fort Wayne City Council eliminated the position of Public Safety Director Tuesday night.

The move came after current Director Rusty York announced his retirement earlier in the day.

Finance Committee John Crawford says while Rusty York has been an exemplary public servant, it’s all about finding space in a tight budget, and York’s salary can be spent elsewhere:

“With $160,000, we can basically hire three patrol officers for that. It’s not that this position has no value, it’s a question of ‘does it have equal value to other things we can do?'”

The Council tried to eliminate the position in February, but learned that they’d have to wait until budget talks began this month to be legally able to do so.

York tells WOWO News he actually already planned on retirement last year.