MABTON, Wash. -- This little town is down to only one full-time police officer and lacks a clerk treasurer in the middle of a hiring freeze.

“I need to hire,” said Mayor Velva Herrera.

City leaders hope to come up with some solutions at tonight’s Mabton City Council meeting. Discussion begins at 6 p.m.

The dearth of police coverage happened earlier this month when two officers, Thomas Orth and Anthony Russell, resigned to take better-paying posts with the city of Sunnyside. They were sworn in there Monday night.

That leaves only Carl Ramirez as a full-time, paid, fully commissioned officer. Johnny Poteet, a reserve, is working 38 hours per work, Herrera said.

Most of the daytime hours go uncovered, Herrera said, unless a Yakima County Sheriff’s deputy is in town.

The lack of patrol is the latest in a long line of trouble in Mabton’s police ranks, dating back to Robert Perales’ brief stint as a part-time chief.

Hired in 2006, Perales started 24-hour police coverage with four officers plus himself. However, City Council members accused him of overspending and manipulating Herrera. They wrote him out of the 2009 budget, citing budget constraints.

He is now on paid administrative leave from his full-time chief’s position in Granger.

Meanwhile, Kitty Zavala, Mabton’s clerk treasurer, resigned last week, Herrera said. Her work also had been a frequent target of council members’ complaints.

On June 9, the City Council imposed a hiring freeze on Herrera.

Herrera has already advertised for a new clerk-treasurer.

Council members and Herrera will discuss tonight if the freeze prevents her from replacing Zavala and the two officers.

Councilman Mario Martinez thinks it should.

He contends the city’s financial picture is so fuzzy that there’s no way to tell if the city can afford to replace the employees.

“Right now, we don’t know,” he said.

He said the city may contract Bellevue consultant Greg Prothman for a temporary clerk-treasurer, but does not want anybody permanent.

• Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.