Everyone seems to be trying to pass the buck when it comes to providing the &#8221bucks“ to help Ironton find its new police chief.

One of the city's most important departments has gone more than three months without a permanent leader in place. That's inexcusable. The problem must be corrected immediately to ensure that Ironton's finest are moving in the right direction.

Though interim chief Jerry Leach has done an admirable job, the department is lacking its long-term leadership.

State law requires that the chief's test be conducted within 60 days of a vacancy. Former police chief Bill Garland retired July 4, meaning that 60-day mark passed more than a month ago.

But Garland's retirement was no surprise. City leaders had known for months that he was ready to call it quits. So what steps were taken to ensure the transition of finding a new chief would be smooth? Not many.

Why, exactly, has it taken so long to even administer the test? Well, that depends on whom you ask and who is doing the finger pointing.

Ironton Civil Service Commission Chairman Dick Rice has put the blame on the city's finance department and the city council for not allocating enough money.

Right now, one hold up is that the only allocated funds were used for sergeant and captain tests. Council did not pass the allocation quickly and has allowed it to drag on for more than a month.

Council deflects the blame back to the administration for not coming to them sooner to make sure this vacancy could be filled as soon as possible. That, too, is a valid point.

Another problem, according to Rice, is finding a company to create the custom test for an affordable price. Once again, this process should have begun months ago.

The entire testing system has been grinding at such a slow pace that it only reinforces the perception that the government operates too slowly to be effective. With a little vision and foresight, all these problems could have been addressed and the new chief, whomever that may be, could have begun shaping the department's future.

Now is time to stop finger pointing. Everyone must do their part so Ironton's leadership foundation can be built on solid ground.