It was carried out with the speed and orchestration of a military operation.

The shutdown of the Auburn Fire Department's Frederick Street station last week took nearly everyone in the city by surprise. But from the carefully planned press conference announcing the move to the attention to detail in executing it (even the building's locks were changed by the end of the day), it was clear city manager Mark Palesh put considerable thought into what transpired.

Palesh and AFD Chief Mike Hammon emphasized that the closure was a needed cost-saving move, and they said it would also improve efficiency by centralizing certain aspects of how the department functions. As expected, the move generated a fair amount of negative reaction, particularly from the firefighters union and residents living near the Frederick Street station.

Whether the decision was the right one for the city and the AFD is a tough call to make at this point. The public needs to hear more debate from both sides of the issue, because each has some compelling arguments.

And that's precisely why Palesh made a mistake in carrying out this plan the way he did. It came without any advance warning, and it was finished within hours. With a decision as dramatic as the closure of a community fire station, the public deserves time to digest the information presented and to offer feedback. Even a couple of weeks notice could have made this move much more palatable.

Palesh did keep city councilors informed of this plan, and in that respect, they shoulder some responsibility. They are his bosses, and they should have had the foresight to insist that Palesh allow the public some input.

Palesh has certainly been a controversial figure since taking over more than a year ago, but one thing all residents should realize is that he is looking out for their wallets, and doing it rather effectively.

His methods, unfortunately, sometimes obscure the results he's delivered.