With the New Year on the horizon, change is destined for Mandeville.

Mandeville Police Chief Tom Buell is stepping down from his post tomorrow after 30 years at the helm.

Taking his place as interim chief is Capt. Ron Ruple, a 19-year veteran of Mandeville’s police force. Buell announced his decision to retire from the force he helped create earlier this year amid public outcry regarding the unscrupulous behavior outlined in an audit report released in August.

The report detailed shoddy dealings with the department’s charitable foundation, the Citizen Service Fund. According to the report, of the $217,938 collected by the charity run by Buell, only $56,773 of that money was used for charitable activities. Nearly $150,000 went toward employee Christmas parties and gifts, including over $1,000 spent on gifts for Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price. The foundation has since been reorganized into an official nonprofit organization run by a committee.

Since the 30-page report, state and federal investigations ensued and are still ongoing.

After several days of negotiating with city officials in November, Buell came to a deal that would allow him to retire Jan. 1 and take with him $40,000 of accrued vacation and sick time, Buell said.

Price appointed Ruple as the interim chief several weeks ago.

The appointment will likely last more than six months, Price said, as he tries to remove the Mandeville PD chief position from the protection of civil service. That would mean the mayor could fire the chief at his discretion without having to provide sufficient reasoning.

Ruple said there are some changes that may be in the works for the department when he takes over, but it would be “premature” to discuss them now, he said.

“I don’t believe you make a decision and force it upon everybody. You have to talk through things and go in the right direction,” Ruple said, adding he will continue working as the captain along with the chief position.

Ruple said his family and peers have been very supportive of the move, but he has yet to decide if he will apply for the position as full time chief when it becomes available. Because the mayor appoints the city’s chief, Price said he will do a regional search for the next chief via an application process, but that will not likely begin until after the middle part of 2009.