McMinnville officials could be welcoming a new fire chief by the end of the February. That’s the word from city administrator David Rutherford.“We are, I guess you would say, in negotiations with one of the candidates,” Rutherford said during Tuesday night’s Safety Committee meeting. “We have selected one we would like to give the position.”The job of fire chief opened in November with the resignation of Randy Walker, who was hired by the city in early 2012 after an extensive search and hiring process.