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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Waukesha HR Committee Meeting: Policy Revisions and Closed Session on February 18, 2026

Public Meetings — Wednesday, February 18, 2026

BodyWaukesha, Wisconsin

SessionPublic Meetings

DateWednesday, February 18, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 16:56

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:10

Oh sorry.

0:15

Thanks.

0:17

Okay.

0:18

Okay, we're gonna call the HR committee to order.

0:22

Um we have five four out of the five members here today.

0:27

Alderman Anderson is not here, but we still have a quorum.

0:34

Um we don't have public comment on here, but I'm just should I I'm gonna just make we didn't get any public comment, so it doesn't look like there's anybody here for public comments, so we're good to go.

0:46

Okay, first order of agenda is um approval.

0:49

Oh wait, so I'm announcing that we will be going into closed session after all of the agenda items today at the end of the meeting, and that uh motion uh closed session per Wisconsin statute 19.85 parentheses one parentheses C for parentheses for the purpose of considering employment promotion compensation and other terms and conditions of employment for our city administrators performance review.

1:17

So that will be at the end of the meeting today.

1:19

Okay, first order of agenda um first agenda item is um approval of minutes from our January 21st, 2026 meeting.

1:30

Um is there anyone who has anything to say or no?

1:35

Okay, I was there.

1:36

I'll make a motion to approve uh the minutes from January 21st, 2026.

1:41

Do I have a second?

1:42

I'll second it.

1:44

Okay, all in favor of the min minutes for the 21st of January.

1:48

Say aye.

1:49

Aye.

1:50

Aye.

1:51

That is approved unanimously.

1:56

Moving on to 3A, ID 2502562, which is uh review and possible action on HR policy G2 commemorative awards.

2:08

Let me take it from here, Mark.

2:10

All of them tonight for us.

2:11

Thank you.

2:14

Yes, uh, good evening.

2:16

So with the G2 policy, the commemorative awards, the main update that we made to this was just recognizing uh retirees at 10 years of service.

2:26

Um that is what we consider a retiree as part of the other policies.

2:32

So we're just recognizing that, and those retirees are eligible to get a street sign.

2:37

So that was the uh change with that, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

2:42

We already do that, so we're making sure that it's now in the policy or correct, yes.

2:46

Got it.

2:49

Any other questions?

2:52

Okay.

2:54

I will I can make a motion to approve 25-02562.

3:03

I'll second because I think it's a great idea.

3:05

We've been doing it.

3:06

Um more of a official capacity, and I think it's a great way to reward our uh hardworking city staff.

3:17

Okay, any questions?

3:20

Okay, um, all in favor of uh the 2502562 say aye.

3:29

Aye aye.

3:31

That is approved unanimously.

3:34

Okay, we're gonna move on to 25-02564 review and possible action on HR policy D2 training and education reimbursement.

3:45

Yes, so the D2 education policy that we've updated here includes updates to the submission form that we use.

3:54

What we have now is a very old form that doesn't reference the policy at all.

3:59

So we've made updates to make sure that the amounts that people are claiming for reimbursement have the information tied to it that's necessary, including submitting um a class schedule so we know when the class starts and when it ends, because it has to be submitted two weeks prior to the start of the class.

4:18

Um there's also the information that they need to get um an A or a B in order to get a reimbursement.

4:24

Um so we've updated the form to include all of that information so that along with sending them a copy of the policy, they can see the required information for the reimbursement on the form that they're signing.

4:37

Okay, and again, this is something we've just been doing and just updating the policy with the formality.

4:42

That's correct.

4:43

Okay, correct.

4:43

Thank you.

4:44

Any other questions?

4:46

Any other questions?

4:48

Okay, I'm gonna move to approve two five oh two five six four.

4:54

I'll second it.

4:56

Okay, anybody have any questions prior to us voting?

5:00

copy of the policy they can see the required information for the reimbursement on the form that they're signing okay and again this is something we've just been doing and just updating the policy with the formality that's correct okay correct thank you any other questions any other questions okay I'm gonna move to approve two five oh two five six four somebody else want to I'll second it okay anybody have any questions prior to us voting okay all in favor of the um amending policy D2 say aye aye that is approved unanimously we are moving on to 3C which is ID 2502566 review and possible action on revised HR policy C three leaves of leaves of absences go ahead so for the leaves of absences policy we have updated some of the language in here um including adding um sick time with full time or part time status and how that works adding any other approved leaves in there and some departmental policies that might be more stringent when it comes to using sick time we've also moved some of the information up that was near the bottom of the policy so that information that's listed in blue was near the bottom of the policy so we've kind of re-jigged it to make sure that it flows easier for employees to read the stricken items are the ones that were in there that we no longer need to utilize as far as leaves go.

6:08

And we've also updated some of the language so that it flows with the current federal and state policies related to FMLA.

6:17

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████████████75%

Procedural███████████████25%

Summary of Proceedings

Waukesha HR Committee Meeting: Policy Revisions and Closed Session on February 18, 2026

The Human Resources Committee of the City of Waukesha met on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. Four of five members were present (Doreen Wigderson, Paul Wuteska, Dale Matthews, Mike Chrisien; Mike Anderson absent), constituting a quorum. The committee reviewed and unanimously approved the January 21, 2026 meeting minutes, several revised HR policies, and the abolishment of an outdated policy. The meeting then moved into closed session under Wisconsin Statute § 19.85(1)(c) to discuss the City Administrator's performance review, with no action taken following reconvening. No public comments were received.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes from the January 21, 2026 Human Resources Committee meeting were approved unanimously.

Business Items – Policy Revisions

All policy revisions were approved unanimously. Key changes highlighted during discussion included:

G2 Commemorative Awards: Updated to formally recognize retirees with 10 years of service as eligible for a street sign, aligning policy with existing practice.
D2 Training and Education Reimbursement: Updated the submission form to include required information such as class schedules (two-week prior submission requirement) and grade requirements (A or B for reimbursement).
C3 Leaves of Absences: Reorganized language for clarity, added provisions for sick time based on full-time/part-time status, removed outdated leave references, and aligned with current federal/state FMLA policies. Alderman Chrisien confirmed the policy had been reviewed by legal and staff.
B16 Staffing Resolution Position List: Annual update reflecting FTE changes, including dissolution of library contracts converted to part-time security guard positions and employee title reclassifications. Alderman Chrisien clarified that Water Utility employees are listed due to shared benefits (life insurance, pension) but are not city employees.
C4 Benefits Election at Retirement or Termination: Added definitions (e.g., COBRA participant), added tuition reimbursement proration for departures within 12 months, and shortened the vacation run-out period from up to 12 weeks to three weeks (effective January 2027) to reduce payroll costs and free up hiring. Alderman Chrisien expressed hope that these changes would aid employee retention and attraction, noting many city vacancies. Staff confirmed the goal is to attract talent.
C7 Employment Benefits: Updated to reflect transition from paper forms to an online benefits administration system, removed specific health risk assessment amounts in favor of general language, and added allowance for in-service transfers to other 457 vendors for deferred compensation.

Business Items – Policy Abolishment

B18 Website Linking: Abolished because this IT policy was under HR with no purview; IT has incorporated relevant content into its own policies.

Closed Session

A motion was made and seconded to convene in closed session per Wisconsin Statute § 19.85(1)(c) to consider employment, promotion, compensation, terms and conditions of employment, and performance evaluation data of the City Administrator. The motion passed unanimously. After the closed session, the committee reconvened in open session and reported that no action was taken on the matters discussed.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent following the closed session discussion.

Key Outcomes

All seven agenda items were approved unanimously (minutes, six policy revisions, one policy abolishment).
The committee convened in closed session for the City Administrator's performance review but took no subsequent action.
No public testimony was heard.

Meeting Transcript

Oh sorry. Thanks. Okay. Okay, we're gonna call the HR committee to order. Um we have five four out of the five members here today. Alderman Anderson is not here, but we still have a quorum. Um we don't have public comment on here, but I'm just should I I'm gonna just make we didn't get any public comment, so it doesn't look like there's anybody here for public comments, so we're good to go. Okay, first order of agenda is um approval. Oh wait, so I'm announcing that we will be going into closed session after all of the agenda items today at the end of the meeting, and that uh motion uh closed session per Wisconsin statute 19.85 parentheses one parentheses C for parentheses for the purpose of considering employment promotion compensation and other terms and conditions of employment for our city administrators performance review. So that will be at the end of the meeting today. Okay, first order of agenda um first agenda item is um approval of minutes from our January 21st, 2026 meeting. Um is there anyone who has anything to say or no? Okay, I was there. I'll make a motion to approve uh the minutes from January 21st, 2026. Do I have a second? I'll second it. Okay, all in favor of the min minutes for the 21st of January. Say aye. Aye. Aye. That is approved unanimously. Moving on to 3A, ID 2502562, which is uh review and possible action on HR policy G2 commemorative awards. Let me take it from here, Mark. All of them tonight for us. Thank you. Yes, uh, good evening. So with the G2 policy, the commemorative awards, the main update that we made to this was just recognizing uh retirees at 10 years of service. Um that is what we consider a retiree as part of the other policies. So we're just recognizing that, and those retirees are eligible to get a street sign. So that was the uh change with that, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. We already do that, so we're making sure that it's now in the policy or correct, yes. Got it. Any other questions? Okay. I will I can make a motion to approve 25-02562. I'll second because I think it's a great idea. We've been doing it. Um more of a official capacity, and I think it's a great way to reward our uh hardworking city staff. Okay, any questions? Okay, um, all in favor of uh the 2502562 say aye. Aye aye. That is approved unanimously. Okay, we're gonna move on to 25-02564 review and possible action on HR policy D2 training and education reimbursement. Yes, so the D2 education policy that we've updated here includes updates to the submission form that we use. What we have now is a very old form that doesn't reference the policy at all. So we've made updates to make sure that the amounts that people are claiming for reimbursement have the information tied to it that's necessary, including submitting um a class schedule so we know when the class starts and when it ends, because it has to be submitted two weeks prior to the start of the class. Um there's also the information that they need to get um an A or a B in order to get a reimbursement. Um so we've updated the form to include all of that information so that along with sending them a copy of the policy, they can see the required information for the reimbursement on the form that they're signing. Okay, and again, this is something we've just been doing and just updating the policy with the formality. That's correct.

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