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Record of Proceedings

Manitowoc Police and Fire Commission Meeting Summary - May 13, 2026

Common Council & Committees — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
BodyManitowoc, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council & Committees
DateWednesday, May 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 9:50

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

I'm gonna call to order the May 12th PFC meeting, roll call.

0:06

We are all present.

0:08

Public comment.

0:09

There's no one here from the public going over the consent agenda.

0:13

Are then any changes to the minutes at all?

0:17

No, not me.

0:18

Police department monthly report.

0:22

Yeah, I reviewed the uh monthly reports.

0:25

Um there's no uh major changes in it from last year.

0:30

Uh calls for service were down about 50 through April for the month of April.

0:37

Uh ordinance citations were down about 15 from last April.

0:44

Uh field warnings uh around let's say 70, uh, as well as traffic citations are down about 40.

0:52

Uh other than that, there's really um nothing else to point out unless uh you gentlemen have any questions good fire department?

1:06

Um yeah, in reviewing our statistics or metrics, um nothing out of the ordinary.

1:13

Um basically we're right on par with last year and averaging uh pretty much the same across all the months for 2026 with right now uh through April a total of 1850 EMS 304 fire calls for a total of uh 2154 calls on the year.

1:36

Um so like I said, nothing out of the ordinary.

1:40

Can you go?

1:41

I don't know if this is page one.

1:43

Yes, under the spot that says budget, you got monthly expenses and then says 29.12 percent.

1:51

That is that 29.12 percent represent that represents of the 2020 twenty-six budget, 29.1% of that budget used thus far this year.

2:04

So one third of the budget and by yeah, through the end of April.

2:10

So we'll say May 1st.

2:12

Correct.

2:16

Then you have uh building inspection?

2:19

Correct.

2:20

Yep, building inspection.

2:21

Um in reviewing there and talking with uh the building inspector supervisor, um really nothing out of the ordinary, and it's fairly we'll say pretty much on par with uh 2025 numbers, but uh the biggest thing uh he said is that with the weather spring breaking that obviously they've seen an increase in uh some of the permit activity things like that.

2:45

Um otherwise again nothing that uh jumps out either more or less, it's pretty much on par as uh with what 2025 was any questions, gentlemen?

3:03

Can someone make a motion to approve the consent agenda?

3:07

So moved.

3:08

Second any discussion?

3:12

Hearing none, all in favor say aye.

3:15

Aye opposed, so moved.

3:19

And we have item 26-0423 fire department battalion chief eligibility list.

3:26

Yes, so on Friday, May 8th, uh we held interviews for the position of uh battalion chief, um, which was let's say uh opened up due to uh Jeremy Wagner getting promoted or his uh pending his promotion to uh assistant chief.

3:45

Um so we held interviews and um we had five internal applicants and the interviews went well.

3:53

We had uh fire chiefs from uh surrounding cities that are listed there, and I would like to uh take these five people and put them on a list uh request that they be put on a list good for six months.

4:05

So your contract with the firefighters, the lieutenant position has to be done by seniority, correct?

4:13

Correct.

4:14

Does that also apply to this?

4:16

No, these are um exempt employees, so they are not part of any contract at all.

4:23

So is there a reason why member of the commission was not present for interviews?

4:29

Um in discussing it with Chief Blazer, um, it was felt that uh at that time we didn't we didn't need it because it was part of the fire department.

4:42

Um I guess not uh a chief or assistant chief position, so we felt getting the uh chiefs from the from the city of Sheboygan to Pierre and Grand Shoot to help uh call validate um that was what we needed to do.

5:00

More of a middle management position.

5:01

Yeah, it's more of a middle management position, correct?

5:04

Perfect.

5:05

We currently participate with the police department for all interviews, which is kind of nice in the sense that when it comes to the commission for approval, one of the members of the commission can speak that they're comfortable with the choices that we're all agreeing on.

5:22

So I would ask in the future that you involve the a member of the commission.

5:28

Okay.

5:28

So I would disagree it.

5:31

First of all, Mike, I understand what you're saying.

5:33

Uh it's my position that that's not required or mandatory.

5:38

So you have to have a some confidence in your departments to figure that out.

5:44

So but I agree with chief and assistant chief.

5:46

That's a whole different matter.

5:48

But when you're dealing with middle management, I just don't see the need for that.

5:52

My point is if they ask is fine, but I don't think statute requires that.

5:57

No, the statute doesn't require it, but it's a bonus.

6:01

Uh in for the chiefs, it helps.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Procedural████████████████████████26%
Public Safety███████████████████████25%
Summary of Proceedings

Manitowoc Police and Fire Commission Meeting Summary - May 13, 2026

The Manitowoc Police and Fire Commission met on May 13, 2026 (note: the agenda and minutes list the meeting date as May 12, 2026; the user-provided date is used per instruction). All five commissioners were present: Vander Bloomen, Sauer, Zigmunt, Schema, and Wellner. The meeting lasted from 4:30 PM to 4:39 PM. There was no public comment.

Consent Calendar

  • The commission unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included the April 2026 Police and Fire Commission minutes, the April 2026 Police Department Monthly Report, the April 2026 Fire Rescue Department Monthly Report, and the April 2026 Building Inspection Monthly Report.
  • During discussion, the Police Chief noted that calls for service in April 2026 were down approximately 50 compared to the previous April, ordinance citations down about 15, field warnings down around 70, and traffic citations down about 40.
  • The Fire Chief reported that year-to-date through April 2026, the department had 1,850 EMS calls and 304 fire calls, totaling 2,154 calls, on par with the previous year. Budget usage stood at 29.12% of the 2026 budget through the end of April.
  • The Building Inspection Supervisor reported that activity was on par with 2025, with an increase in permit activity as spring weather arrived.

Discussion Items

  • Fire Rescue Department Battalion Chief Eligibility List (Item 26-0423): The Fire Chief reported that interviews were held on May 8, 2026, for the battalion chief position, which opened due to Jeremy Wagner's pending promotion to assistant chief. Five internal candidates were interviewed. The chief requested approval of an eligibility list of those five candidates, valid for six months.
  • A debate ensued regarding whether a commission member should have been present for the interviews. Commissioner Mike requested future involvement of a commission member in battalion chief interviews, citing benefits for fairness, oversight, and relationship-building. Another commissioner disagreed, stating that such involvement is not required or mandatory, and that the department's use of external chiefs from Sheboygan, Two Rivers, and Grand Chute as subject matter experts provided sufficient unbiased evaluation.
  • After further discussion, the commission voted unanimously to approve the eligibility list for six months.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Battalion Chief Eligibility List: Approved unanimously (5-0) for a six-month period.
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:39 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I'm gonna call to order the May 12th PFC meeting, roll call. We are all present. Public comment. There's no one here from the public going over the consent agenda. Are then any changes to the minutes at all? No, not me. Police department monthly report. Yeah, I reviewed the uh monthly reports. Um there's no uh major changes in it from last year. Uh calls for service were down about 50 through April for the month of April. Uh ordinance citations were down about 15 from last April. Uh field warnings uh around let's say 70, uh, as well as traffic citations are down about 40. Uh other than that, there's really um nothing else to point out unless uh you gentlemen have any questions good fire department? Um yeah, in reviewing our statistics or metrics, um nothing out of the ordinary. Um basically we're right on par with last year and averaging uh pretty much the same across all the months for 2026 with right now uh through April a total of 1850 EMS 304 fire calls for a total of uh 2154 calls on the year. Um so like I said, nothing out of the ordinary. Can you go? I don't know if this is page one. Yes, under the spot that says budget, you got monthly expenses and then says 29.12 percent. That is that 29.12 percent represent that represents of the 2020 twenty-six budget, 29.1% of that budget used thus far this year. So one third of the budget and by yeah, through the end of April. So we'll say May 1st. Correct. Then you have uh building inspection? Correct. Yep, building inspection. Um in reviewing there and talking with uh the building inspector supervisor, um really nothing out of the ordinary, and it's fairly we'll say pretty much on par with uh 2025 numbers, but uh the biggest thing uh he said is that with the weather spring breaking that obviously they've seen an increase in uh some of the permit activity things like that. Um otherwise again nothing that uh jumps out either more or less, it's pretty much on par as uh with what 2025 was any questions, gentlemen? Can someone make a motion to approve the consent agenda? So moved. Second any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye opposed, so moved. And we have item 26-0423 fire department battalion chief eligibility list. Yes, so on Friday, May 8th, uh we held interviews for the position of uh battalion chief, um, which was let's say uh opened up due to uh Jeremy Wagner getting promoted or his uh pending his promotion to uh assistant chief. Um so we held interviews and um we had five internal applicants and the interviews went well. We had uh fire chiefs from uh surrounding cities that are listed there, and I would like to uh take these five people and put them on a list uh request that they be put on a list good for six months. So your contract with the firefighters, the lieutenant position has to be done by seniority, correct? Correct. Does that also apply to this? No, these are um exempt employees, so they are not part of any contract at all. So is there a reason why member of the commission was not present for interviews? Um in discussing it with Chief Blazer, um, it was felt that uh at that time we didn't we didn't need it because it was part of the fire department. Um I guess not uh a chief or assistant chief position, so we felt getting the uh chiefs from the from the city of Sheboygan to Pierre and Grand Shoot to help uh call validate um that was what we needed to do. More of a middle management position. Yeah, it's more of a middle management position, correct? Perfect. We currently participate with the police department for all interviews, which is kind of nice in the sense that when it comes to the commission for approval, one of the members of the commission can speak that they're comfortable with the choices that we're all agreeing on. So I would ask in the future that you involve the a member of the commission. Okay.

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