The council unanimously rescinded the standards it passed in June that required law enforcement officers and firefighters to score higher on evaluations than other city employees in order to earn equivalent raises.

Ticket quotas were only one of 18 categories by which officers would be scored under the system junked Tuesday. But the item proved to be a sore spot for patrol officers and produced a nasty rash of citizen complaints.

“It's part of our job to keep the community safe,” said Officer Marty Thomas. “But it's part of our job to have discretion. We don't want to have to write tickets to put food on the table for our families.”

Thomas, who also is the second-vice president of the Ogden Police Benefit Association, said he was happy with the council's actions that also included the creation of an “employee negotiation review work group.” Beginning next month, it will begin to identify issues between employees and the city administration and will seek solutions.

The group, to be composed of representatives from employee groups, the city administration and the City Council, will be led by a certified mediator.

Tuesday's actions were a balm in the uneasy atmosphere that saw tempers flare all summer. The tentacles from the hot controversy ensnared Mayor Matthew Godfrey in July after Police Chief Jon Greiner put Officer Matt Jones on administrative leave.

Jones was among officers and firefighters who rented a moving van and hung signs blaming increased traffic citations on the mayor. Godfrey reportedly followed the truck as it was being driven by Jones' wife. Several hours later, Jones was placed on leave.

The cacophony of complaints grew until Godfrey requested that Weber County Attorney Mark DeCaria investigate Jones' suspension. He remains on leave.

“This has made us the laughing stock of the state,” said Ogden resident Sharon Beck. “The ticket quotas and 'vangate' have caused a lot of dissension in the community.”

But some residents believe the conflagration in the news media over pubic safety officers' salaries is much ado about nothing, said Ogden resident Bob Geiger.

“Some police officers have taken the opportunity to make this a political situation,” he said. “There are a lot of citizens here who support Mayor Godfrey.”

Councilman Brandon Stephenson said Tuesday's actions give city employees and Godfrey's administration the opportunity to work out their differences.

“The only way to resolve difficult issues is to sit down and discuss them,” he said. “Getting together and communicating as adults will serve us better in the long run as a city.”

csmart@sltrib.com