Personnel Committee — Agenda packet

Posted On: 4/28/2026 PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 1:00 P.M. sister Bay Liberty Grove Fire Station – 2258 Mill Road, Small Conference Room Deviations from the agenda order shown may occur For additional meeting information visit: www.sisterbaywi.gov, click ‘Agendas and Minutes’ AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approve Agenda 4. Approve Meeting Minutes: a) December 2nd, 2026 5. Comments, Correspondence, and Concerns from the Public 6. Discussion/Action Items a) Parks Staff Temporary Wage Increases b) Employee Handbook; Employee Inquiry 7. Executive Session a) Wisc. Stats. 19.85(1)(c) to consider employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. i. Preliminary Consideration of Personnel Matters 8. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official, or Employee 9. Next Meeting Date/Time 10. Adjourn Public Notice Questions regarding the nature of the Agenda items or more detail on the items listed can be directed to Benjamin Andrews, Village Administrator, at administrator@sisterbaywi.gov. It is possible that members, and possibly a quorum, of other governmental bodies may attend the meeting to gather information; no action will be taken by any governmental body other than the body specifically referred to above. Upon reasonable notice, a good faith effort will be made to accommodate the needs of disabled individuals through sign language interpreters or other auxiliary aids or accommodations at no cost to the individual. Due to the difficulty in finding interpreters, requests should be made as far in advance as possible, preferably a minimum of 48 hours. For additional information or to request this service, contact the Sister Bay Village Administration Office at 854- 4118, (FAX) 854- 9637, or by writing to the Village Administration Building, 2383 Maple Drive, PO Box 769, Sister Bay, WI 54234. Copies of reports and other supporting documentation are available for review online. The Village of Sister Bay is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer 1 PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 1 Tuesday, December 2, 2025 2 11:00 AM 3 Unapproved 4 5 6 1. Call to Order7 Chair Howson called the Personnel Committee meeting to order at 11:00 AM.8 9 2. Roll Call10 Present: Chair Louise Hownson, Kurt Harff, Brigid White11 Staff Present: Administrator Julie Schmelzer, Village Clerk Julie Thyssen12 Other: Benjamin Andrews13 14 3. Approve Agenda15 Chair Howson proposed an amendment to the agenda to table Item 6a, Employee Contracts, for a16 future meeting.17 Motion to approve the agenda as amended was made by Harff and seconded by White. Motion18 carried — all ayes.19 20 4. Approve Minutes: August 21, October 14, 28 & 31, 202521 White noted a clarification regarding comments she made in the October 28 minutes related to22 employee surveys, stating no negative intent was directed at the Administrator. No formal23 corrections were submitted. All minutes were approved as presented.24 Motion to approve the minutes for August 21, October 14, October 28, and October 31, 2025 was25 made by Harff and seconded by White. Motion carried — all ayes.26 27 5. Comments, Correspondence and Concerns from the Public28 No public comments, correspondence, or concerns were received.29 30 6. Discussion/Action Items31 a. Employee Contracts32 This item was tabled to a future meeting per the agenda amendment approved under Item 3.33 34 b. Personnel Handbook Revisions35 Administrator Schmelzer summarized the handbook revisions previously discussed, which included36 updates to payment in lieu of benefits, harassment policy (with Type 1 and Type 2 classifications37 added), and a mileage reimbursement provision requiring employees to provide a valid driver's38 license and proof of insurance.39 40 White inquired whether provisions addressing employee benefits upon separation or termination 41 were included in the current section. Schmelzer clarified that this topic had been discussed at the 42 board level in executive session and pertains to the tabled employee contracts. She noted that while 43 the village had previously been advised such extensions were not permissible without policy, the 44 board had since agreed to extend health benefits for a departing employee on an informal basis. 45 Schmelzer recommended the committee consider formalizing this provision in policy, noting that 46 continuation of coverage through the village's group plan would be more cost-effective than COBRA. 47 Schmelzer recommended the revised handbook be forwarded to the full board for approval, with an 48 effective date of January 1, 2026, and that all employees sign acknowledgment of the updated 49 document. 50 51 2 Minutes of the December 3, 2025, Meeting of the Personnel Committee - unapproved 2 Schmelzer also noted the existence of an employee benefit guide — previously compiled by MSA — 1 that had never been formally adopted. She recommended that formalizing and adopting a 2 comprehensive employee benefit guide be placed on a future agenda for 2026. Additionally, 3 Schmelzer raised the concept of a separate supervisor handbook covering purchasing policy, invoice 4 procedures, and grievance navigation, recommending the committee consider this for future 5 discussion as well. 6 Motion to recommend the Personnel Handbook revisions to the full Village Board was made by Harff 7 and seconded by White. Motion carried — all ayes. 8 9 Future Action Items: 10 • Staff to prepare final revised handbook with an effective date of January 1, 2026, for board11 approval; all employees to sign acknowledgment upon adoption.12 • Formalization and adoption of an employee benefit guide to be placed on a future 202613 agenda.14 • Development of a supervisor-specific handbook to be placed on a future agenda.15 16 c. Parks Crew Staffing and Interim Wages17 Schmelzer provided background on the parks department staffing situation, noting that the crew18 had operated throughout the past year at three full-time members following a departure. After19 reviewing the impact on staff — including increased weekend rotations and significant fatigue during20 Fall Fest — Schmelzer presented a staffing model developed in consultation with the park’s21 supervisor and parks committee.22 23 Seasonal Full-Time Employee (Summer): The committee discussed hiring one seasonal full-time 24 employee for the summer months to restore a four-person crew rotation and improve project 25 efficiency. The committee expressed support for this approach. 26 27 Seasonal Part-Time Mowers: The committee discussed hiring two seasonal part-time employees 28 focused on lawn mowing, structured as split-week schedules (Monday–Wednesday and 29 Wednesday–Friday), targeting high school students from the Gibraltar School District. Schmelzer 30 confirmed the village's insurance carrier would cover minor employees with valid driver's licenses for 31 mowing operations, though chainsaw use would not be permitted. Wages were discussed with a 32 tentative range of $16–$18 per hour, to be confirmed following a wage analysis of comparable 33 municipal positions. White suggested recruitment begin no later than early April, including 34 participation in Gibraltar's annual spring job fair. 35 36 Winter Interim Compensation: For the period of November 1 through May 31, while the crew 37 operates without a fourth full-time member, the committee agreed the three crew members should 38 be compensated at the next step in the wage scale (approximately $0.70–$0.80 per hour increase). 39 Schmelzer recommended this provision be formalized in policy and clearly state that additional 40 compensation is contingent upon the department remaining at three full-time members, and will 41 cease if a fourth full-time employee is hired. 42 43 Post-Fall Fest Day Off: The committee agreed parks crew members should receive one paid day off 44 in the week following Fall Fest, with scheduling to be coordinated by the parks supervisor to account 45 for post-event cleanup responsibilities. 46 47 Fall Fest Compensation: The committee declined to support triple-time pay during Fall Fest, noting it 48 was cost-prohibitive (estimated at approximately $19,000 for the weekend) and without precedent. 49 Instead, the committee agreed that parks crew members working Saturday and Sunday of Fall Fest 50 weekend would receive double-time pay regardless of hours worked earlier in the week. 51 3 Minutes of the December 3, 2025, Meeting of the Personnel Committee - unapproved 3 Motion to approve the proposed parks department staffing plan and compensation adjustments — 1 including the seasonal full-time summer hire, two seasonal part-time mowers, the November 1–May 2 31 interim wage step increase, one paid day off in the week following Fall Fest, and double-time pay 3 for hours worked on Saturday and Sunday of Fall Fest weekend — was made by Howson and 4 seconded by White. Motion carried — all ayes 5 6 Future Action Items: 7 • Staff to formalize the winter interim wage step and Fall Fest double-time provisions in the8 Personnel Handbook for board approval.9 • Staff to conduct a wage analysis for seasonal part-time mowing positions and bring a a10 recommended rate forward.11 • Parks supervisor and Administrator to initiate recruitment for seasonal positions beginning12 no later than the first week of April, with outreach to Gibraltar School District including the13 spring job fair.14 • A future agenda item to be scheduled regarding the on-call policy for employees who are on15 approved vacation.16 17 d. New Administrator Onboarding Process18 Howson presented a draft onboarding framework developed through research into municipal19 administrator onboarding practices. The document was organized into preparation steps, first-20 day logistics, and ongoing milestones. 21 22 Schmelzer confirmed that staff maintains an internal onboarding checklist and would cross-23 reference it with Howson's draft to ensure no items are missed. Key priorities identified 24 included: completing the incoming administrator's personnel file (application, resume, and 25 executed contract); establishing email and cell phone accounts; coordinating benefits 26 enrollment through the HR consultant; and preparing office access and equipment. 27 28 The committee confirmed a village-issued cell phone would be procured through Cellcom prior 29 to Andrews's start date. Regarding computing equipment, it was agreed no new hardware would 30 be ordered at this time, as existing office equipment (desktop and laptop) would be available for 31 use. 32 33 Schmelzer emphasized that navigating the village's file systems — including planning and zoning 34 files, contract files, and grant files — represents the most critical onboarding priority given her 35 departure on January 2. She committed to scheduling a screen-sharing session with Andrews 36 during the week of December 15 to walk through file organization and day-to-day system 37 navigation, subject to schedule constraints around the board meeting (December 16) and plan 38 commission meeting (December 18). 39 40 Regarding public announcements, Howson confirmed that Schmelzer's retirement press release 41 would be published in the Pulse the week of December 5, with Andrews's introduction press 42 release to follow approximately ten days later. Press releases for website posting and email blast 43 are to be sent to either the clerk or administrative assistant for distribution. 44 45 Schmelzer noted the importance of scheduling Andrews's performance evaluation and 46 recommended the committee chair place it on the radar well in advance. She also recommended 47 the committee consider increasing the professional development and training budget in future 48 budget cycles. 49 50 Future Action Items: 51 4 Minutes of the December 3, 2025, Meeting of the Personnel Committee - unapproved 4 • Howson to immediately forward Andrews's resume and contract to Schmelzer for 1 personnel file assembly. 2 • Staff to send Andrews an employment application (fillable PDF) for completion prior to 3 start date. 4 • Staff to configure village email account and cell phone (via Cellcom) prior to Andrews's 5 start date. 6 • Schmelzer to schedule a screen-sharing/file orientation session with Andrews during the 7 week of December 15. 8 • Howson to arrange a staff welcome and orientation on Andrews's first day. 9 • Howson to submit Andrews's introduction press release to village staff for distribution 10 approximately ten days after Schmelzer's retirement announcement. 11 • Personnel Committee to schedule Andrews's formal performance evaluation in 12 accordance with the employment contract. 13 • Professional development and training budget to be reviewed and considered for 14 increase in the 2026 budget process. 15 16 7. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official or Employee 17 The following items were identified for placement on future agendas: 18 • Employee Contracts (tabled from this meeting) 19 • On-call policy for employees on approved vacation 20 • Employee Benefit Guide — formal adoption 21 • Supervisor Handbook — development and adoption 22 • Professional development and training budget 23 24 8. Next Meeting Date 25 The next meeting date was not established. To be determined. 26 27 9. Adjourn 28 Motion to adjourn at 12:31 p.m. was made by Howson and seconded by Harff. Motion carried — 29 all ayes. 30 31 32 33 Respectfully submitted by Julie Thyssen, Clerk 34 5 Page 1 STAFF REPORT Date: April 29, 2026 To: Personnel Committee Re: Parks Staff Temporary Wage Increases Author(s): Benjamin Andrews, Village Administrator Action(s) Requested: ☐ Ordinance ☐ Resolution ☒ Motion ☒ Receive/File POLICY ISSUE(S) The policy question before the Personnel Committee is whether the Village should provide temporary additional compensation to full ‑time, non‑exempt Parks Department employees for the 2026 summer season if the Village is unable to hire a Seasonal Public Works Technician. The issue is whether the past practice of providing supplemental pay when operating with reduced staffing remains appropriate and, if so, at what compensation level. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Village of Sister Bay has been recruiting Seasonal Public Works Technicians for the summer season scheduled from May 4 through October 23, 2026. To date, only one applicant has applied, and that applicant has since accepted another opportunity, leaving the position vacant. The Parks Department currently operates with three full ‑time, non ‑exempt employees. Historically, staffing levels included four full‑time employees, but in 2025, the Village determined that no more than three full‑time, non‑exempt employees would be maintained from November 1 through May 1 due to reduced winter workload. While winter demands are generally lower, severe weather may still cause temporary increases in hours. To account for the reduced staffing structure, employees working under the three - person model from November through May receive pay at the next higher st ep on the wage scale. This temporary 3% pay increase applies only during the winter season and only while staffing is at three or fewer employees. During the 2025 summer season, the Parks Department again operated with only three full-time staff. Because of the added workload created by the unfilled position, staff were compensated an additional $448 per pay period ($5.60 per hour × 80 hours). This a mount was not subject to COLA or overtime adjustments. 6 Page 2 May 13, 2025, Personnel Committee minutes reflect that the Committee discussed this situation, directed staff to calculate an appropriate temporary wage adjustment based on the cost of the vacant position, and authorized the Committee Chair to decide on the final tempo rary increase so long as it did not negatively affect the department’s budget. Given that the Village again faces the potential of operating the 2026 summer season without a Seasonal Public Works Technician, staff seek direction on whether the Committee believes the prior compensation structure remains appropriate or whether an alternative approach should be implemented. CONSIDERATIONS If implemented , the additional compensation would be the opposite of the winter schedu le; generally, May 1st through November 1st, 2026. Further, the winter benefits would no longer be applicable, as the summer compensation would be applied as an alternative. RECOMMENDED ACTION(S) Village Staff recommends that the Personnel Committee evaluate the supplemental compensation model and determine whether to reapply it, modify it, or discontinue it. If the Committee wishes to authorize compensation for 2026, the following motion may be used: “I move to authorize temporary wage adjustments for full‑time, non‑exempt Parks Department employees from May 1st to November 1st, 2026, in the amount of [$$$] (amount not subject to an additional COLA or overtime), if seasonal staff cannot be employed.” NOTE: The addition was $448 per pay period ($5.60 per hour × 80 hours) in 2025. POLICY ALTERNATIVE(S) The Personnel Committee could take the following actions: • Approve Supplemental Compensation Increase • Alternative Supplemental Compensation • No Supplemental Compensation • Postpone Agenda Item 7 Village of Sister Bay Employee Handbook Adopted Dec. 16, 2025 Eff. Jan.1, 2026 13 16. If an employee is involved in an accident while on duty, they must: a. Stay at the scene of the accident and turn on the four-way flashers of the Village-owned vehicle they were operating. b. Immediately contact law enforcement officials as well as their immediate supervisor, or, if the supervisor is unavailable, the Village Administrator. c. When requested, provide their name, address and Village of Sister Bay affiliation, and show their driver’s license and proof of insurance to the other party who was involved in the accident as well as the law enforcement officer who responds to the scene of th at accident. It shall be the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that proof of insurance is maintained in all Village-owned vehicles at all times. d. Upon return ing to work after being involved in an accident with a Village -owned vehicle , all affected employees must obtain and complete the required worker’s compensation and incident report forms from their immediate supervisor(s), who will see that those forms are provided to the employees in the Administration Office. HOURS OF WORK, ATTENDANCE AND PAY POLICIES Work Hours For most full -time staff, the regular work week will be 40 hours, excluding meal periods, performed in five, eight -hour workdays Monday through Friday. Specific hours of work shall be decided by the immediate supervisor. A supervisor may set a rotational schedule for Utilities Department and Parks and Streets Department employees to ensure routine weekend work is addressed, such as cleaning restrooms in the parks; said rotation schedule may result in overtime hours worked beyond the normal 40-hour work week, but time worked shall be the minimum required to perform the rotational duties to minimize overtime. Rotational hours are considered anticipated routine work to be performed and may require an employee to be called back to work, if needed. • Supervisors may authorize variations in an employee’s work schedule to accommodate their departmental needs, or to eliminate or reduce overtime. • Non-Exempt Employees: Hourly employees cannot perform any work during their unpaid lunch period without specific authorization from their immediate supervisor. If work is authorized, then the entire lunch period must be included as hours worked on the employee’s timecard. Unless they are performing official business, e mployees may not leave the workplace (i.e. return to their homes) unless they are on their unpaid lunch break and may not use a municipal vehicle to do so . Unpaid time begins when the employee leaves the worksite. • Exempt Employees: The Village expects exempt employees to work a normal full-time, 40-hour work week and any additional hours required by workload, which can include special and regular meetings and events outside of normal hours. In return, the employee may occasionally take time off without using time from their accrued leave banks when the workload of the office permits, provided the employee informs the ir immediate supervisor that they will be leaving . This flexibility is not an accrued benefit, nor does it constitute compensatory time; use of personal time on an hour-for-hour basis for time worked in excess of a 40-hour work week is not permitted by exempt employees. On Call/Call Back All employees are always on call; that is, when emergencies require it, any and all of them may be recalled to work at hours during which they are normally off duty. “On Call” will refer to the order in which employees are contacted, when the need for unforeseen work or an emergency arises. The order in which employees are contacted will rotate according to a schedule set by the supervisor. If a Parks & Streets 8 Village of Sister Bay Employee Handbook Adopted Dec. 16, 2025 Eff. Jan.1, 2026 14 employee or Utilities Department employee is scheduled to work on a rotational basis, the days they work on that rotational schedule will also be the days they are considered “On Call”. For “On Call” employees scheduled to work “On Call” that require the employee to remain within a reasonable response time distance of the Village, they will be compensated twenty-five and 00/100 ($25) dollars per day. Examples of situations where an “On Call” employee would be compensated twenty-five and 00/100 ($25) dollars per day include Utilities Department employees, and Parks and Streets Department employees needed to remove snow, address flooding, or similar circumstance where the employee is expected to remain close to Sister Bay to be able to respond to an emergency. With the exception of the Utilities Department, t he term “On Call” does not imply the need to remain constantly available for contact by phone, or the need to remain in close proximity to the workplace. Compensation for calls to work during periods when the employee is at the head of the “On Call” rotation will be normal overtime, assuming the normal 40 hours for the week have actually been worked. In recognition of the impact that “ On Call” status has upon Parks & Streets employees and Utilities employees, the Village will pay $25 per day for an employee scheduled to be “On Call” for holidays. This shall be in addition to any holiday pay or call-in overtime actually worked, which will be paid in accordance with standard overtime pay policies identified herein. If the employee at head of the rotation schedule is unable to come back to work for an emergency, the employee that is actually called back shall be entitled to the $25 per day “On Call” pay. Applicable solely to the full-time employees of the Parks and Streets Department: The decision was made in 2025 to not have more than three full-time, non-exempt employees on staff from November 1 through May 1, which tends to be the slower season for the department. It is acknowledged, however, that if weather were severe, the employee could potentially experience an increase in hours worked during a weekend rotation. To compensate the employees for their willingness to work with a reduced staff for six months, the decision was made that, during the six-month period the department operates with just three full-time, non-exempt employees, staff is to be compensated at the next higher step in the wage scale during this period. After May 1, when the department is more adequately staffed, employees will resume pay at their base rate. This 3% jump in pay (‘next step pay’) is valid only as long as the department operates with three or fewer full-time, non-exempt staff during the winter season. Timekeeping for Non-Exempt Employees, Including Part-time, Seasonal and Casual Employees Non-exempt staff shall maintain a daily attendance record in the format provide d by the Village . This record shall reflect the employee’s daily start and end times, including start and end times of their lunch period, overtime hours worked , “On Call” time, and all absences for vacation, illness, holidays, use of compensatory time, etc. Employees must keep an accurate record of their time. If manual timekeeping is required, employees must certify the accuracy of their time report by signing it and submitting the documentation to their immediate supervisor, or by forwarding it by email for approval to their supervisor. The supervisor must sign the completed time reporting form to verify the hours claimed . If an electronic time -keeping process is implemented, employees must accurately input their time; any errors or deviations from the time 9