(Radio Iowa) – The town of Fayette in northeast Iowa is still without a Fire Chief after the City Council rejected the nomination of firefighters for the job a second time during their meeting Monday.

The department members recommended long-time Chief Jason Rohde both times and failed to gain a motion from the city council to accept the recommendation. Mayor Kurt Wood tells KCRG TV the City Council is looking to move the fire department in a new direction, one in which hopefully the number of volunteers grows.

“I know there’s a concern on my part and the part of City Council on the number of people we have,” Mayor Wood says. “There is a concern about the future direction.” Wood declined to comment on Rohde specifically. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” Wood said.

Rohde told KCRG TV in a phone interview he thought he wasn’t getting the backing of the City Council because of “perceived personnel problems.” Wood says the Council understands the issue with finding volunteers in Fayette.“We have an aging demographic, we also have a declining demographic,” Wood said. But it’s clear the council doesn’t want the long-time firefighter to be a part of a long-term solution. The Fire Department currently only has nine volunteer firefighters.