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December 4, 2006 Minutes of the Joint Town Board & Administrative Committee
Minutes of the Joint Town Board & Administrative Committee
Meeting of December 04, 2006
Chair Pelletier called the meeting to order at 6 pm
Present: Chair John Pelletier
Supervisor Dolores Nowak
Supervisor Larry Malsch
Supervisor Wayne Polzin
Supervisor Bill Endisch
Town Clerk, Colleen Endisch
Treasurer, Shari Wisniewski
Police Chief, Andrew Mayer
Kim O’Keefe
Absent: Tobie Watts
Chair Pelletier declared a quorum present for doing business.
Communications:
None
Comment & Suggestions of Citizens Present:
None
New Business:
a.Discussion/possible on Town Administrator position, job
description, advertising copy, suggestions on where to advertise and
suggested interview team.
Supervisor Nowak said that at the board meeting Chair Pelletier
questioned why the position description doesn’t have supervisory
duties. Supervisor Nowak said the committee based their job
description based on samples from other municipalities. Chair
Pelletier asked if that is the way the board sees this position.
Chair Pelletier added he thought the process would be that the Fire
Chief and Mike Petkoff would go to the Administrator. He thinks we
are developing the model on how we want this to work; developing a
policy. Attorney Wassel stated he perceives the Administrator;
administering the day to day town business under the Town Chair’s
direction.
Chief Mayer remarked he has worked both ways; he said if you give the
responsibility and authority to the Administrator the board is going
to lose a little bit of your day to day hands on; there is a
trade-off. He said this position only works if you give the authority
and responsibility to the position and if the position only reports to
the Town Chair. Attorney Wassel added about the issue of
accountability; if a constituent calls a board member they can help
them get to the bottom of their issue. The board abdicates that
control; they lose their immediate gratification of solving a problem.
If the same person calls you two weeks later; what it comes down to
is that the administrator is only as good as what you hire.
Supervisor Polzin said he received a call last week Friday that
someone couldn’t get out to pick up his wife; it was explained that
two plow trucks were broke down. Attorney Wassel said that Polzin was
responsive to the constituent. It was asked what happens if the
Administrator gets two conflicting requests and Wassel responded all
requests would be funneled thru the town chair. Supervisor Nowak said
that Mike reports to John as Chair of Public Works today and Chief
Mayer reports to Larry as chair of the Police & Water Safety
Committee. Nowak asked, how does the Town change that? Wassel
responded it would go back to the Administrator to get on the
committee agenda; this should make everyone’s life simpler. He said
this wouldn’t disrupt the structure of the committees; the committees
would be spending their time developing policies. Wassel added said
the board should do a memo to all Department Heads; giving
responsibility to the Town Administrator. What happens if a Board
Members steps out of that chain; it would be up to the Town Chair to
speak with the Board Member. The other example is that if the Board
votes four to one on an issue and the Chair is the nay vote; it would
be up to the Town Chair to carry out the will of the Board.
Supervisor Nowak asked if the Board was comfortable with the opening
paragraph regarding the Administrator supervising all town functions.
She asked about the Department Heads reporting to the Town
Administrator. The Ordinance item g should be changed to “directs”
from “assists”. This change should be made in both documents.
Attorney Wassel said the ordinance states the administrator needs to
be appointed with two-thirds of the entire Town Board – four
affirmative votes. He also said the 2/3 majority wouldn’t be needed
if the removal was for cause. Attorney Wassel said that the person’s
performance should be reviewed; and the process is only good if you do
an actual evaluation. That hasn’t happened in the past. Wassel added
the problem is that if you don’t do some sort of a review, when you
try to fire for cause you have no history to review as to the employee
performing unsatisfactorily. Chair Pelletier asked who would do the
review and Wassel responded the Town Chair.
Supervisor Polzin made a motion to approve the Town Administrator job
description as corrected with a second from Supervisor Malsch and the
motion carried; with Chief Mayer abstaining.
Supervisor Polzin made a motion to put the ordinance to create the
position of Town Administrator on the December Town Board agenda with
a second from Supervisor Malsch and the motion carried; with Chief
Mayer abstaining.
Supervisor Nowak asked how extensively and at what cost do you want
to advertise for this position. Nowak said the Municipality and Town
Association are two options; a group called the Wisconsin partners
lets you advertise a position; they say they get 10,000 hits a month @
$ 125 per month. Attorney Wassel asked about a head hunter. Chair
Pelletier answered these are quite costly; he asked about professional
web-site for administrators, Pelletier thought they might have their
own job posting system. Chief Mayer asked if the Town would be
limiting their search to WI, he added the top administrative school is
USC. Chair Pelletier said we wouldn’t be willing to pay any
relocation expenses.
Supervisor Nowak asked what detail the board thought the ad should
have. Clerk Endisch said she provided everyone with a sample ad she
took out of the Municipality, she thought was quite good. She added
the ad was concise and too the point, without a lot of words.
It was determined the responses for the ad would go to the Town
Chair. The WI University Systems was another contact to advertise for
the position. Supervisor Nowak will look at that.
Supervisor Nowak asked about interview questions; will the Town
formulate our own; she thought a guideline would be helpful. Attorney
Wassel said he thinks a professional team of administrators should be
formed into a committee to review the job applications. Supervisor
Nowak asked what the cutoff date should be; March 1, 2007 was
determined. Wassel added this committee of professional people could
narrow down the applications to 3 or 4 and then the board could
conduct the final interviews. Chair Pelletier questioned why an
administrator would do this and Wassel responded as a professional
courtesy. Supervisor Malsch said the Administrative Committee could
screen all the applications and purge the ones that wouldn’t even fit
into the category as possibilities and then the committee could rank
the others. How many to interview would need to be determined.
Supervisor Nowak asked if the committee meeting should be closed
session and it was determined it should be. Supervisor Nowak will
solicit some people to put on the review committee.
Adjournment
Supervisor Malsch made a motion to adjourn the meeting with a second
from Supervisor Polzin and the motion carried unanimously.
Chair Pelletier adjourned the meeting at 7:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted
Colleen Endisch, Town Chair