By Max Fontaine | Important news guy

Bass Lake Town Council has hired a search firm to find a successor for ex-police chief Chiou Yueh.

Yueh stepped down late last month.

Approval of the firm’s hiring was confirmed Monday at the council’s monthly meeting, held Monday.

Finder & Fee of Atlanta, Ind., has been pegged for the task.

“They come highly recommended,” said council vice president Carolyn Shee.

“Who recommends them?” asked treasurer Olden A. Goodway.

“They do,” she said.

Estimated cost to hire the search firm was not disclosed at the meeting, but officials close to the situation say it will be “in excess of at least hundreds of dollars.”

The move is due to “lack of clear candidates,” according to Mayor Guy Soundguy, according to Local Cover Band singer Skippy Jenson, according to Shee.

• TIMELINE: History of Bass Lake police chiefs

Town officials have established some basic guidelines for the position, prior to Finder & Fee’s analysis. Among them: A “fairly clean” criminal record, a non-obsession with helicopters, Western Hemisphere residency and an ability to keep squad cars adequately fueled.

Town officials will allow some consultation from ex-embattled-chief and bicycle-patrol department leader Tug McNabb, who chimed in on the matter immediately Monday.

“He or she can be male or female — as long as the new man can handle the physical labor,” McNabb said while eating an ice cream sundae and a plate of fried chicken.

Meanwhile, speculation swirls about Yueh’s departure — same as it did last week.

Nobody else contributed to this report. Nobody.