Human Resources Committee Meeting - May 20, 2026
Human Resources Committee Meeting - May 20, 2026
The Human Resources Committee met on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM in Waukesha City Hall Council Chambers. Four members were present (Matthews, Wells, Anderson, Chrisien) and one absent (Wuteska). The committee approved revised policies E2 (Vehicle Collision Control and Accident Reporting) and G7 (Drug & Alcohol-Free Workplace) to comply with federal grant requirements.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (ID#26-03647): The minutes from the March 18, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously (4-0).
Discussion Items
- Revised E2 Vehicle Collision Control and Accident Reporting Policy (ID#26-03645): Staff presented updates primarily to add prohibited conduct and distracted/unsafe driving language, required for a federal grant for two pedestrian bridges over the Waukesha Bypass. Other changes included removal of references to preventable/non-preventable accident determinations by employees, delegating that to police. Committee members discussed applicability to police and fire departments (given their in-vehicle technology), whether the policy implied acceptance of the grant, and clarification on terms like "excellent driving record" and vehicle inspection language. Alderman Chrisien expressed opposition to the pedestrian bridges but supported the policy update. The policy was approved 3-1 (Matthews, Wells, Anderson in favor; Chrisien opposed).
- Revised HR Policy G7 Drug & Alcohol-Free Workplace (ID#26-03646): Staff updated the policy to include language from the Drug-Free Workplace Act, added references to alcohol, and updated resource contact information (policy had not been updated since 1999). Discussion focused on the value of listing specific resources and the need for more frequent policy reviews. The policy was approved unanimously (4-0).
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes from March 18, 2026 (4-0).
- Approved revised E2 Vehicle Collision Control and Accident Reporting Policy (3-1).
- Approved revised HR Policy G7 Drug & Alcohol-Free Workplace (4-0).
- The meeting adjourned at 6:19 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, call the uh HR meeting for May 20th to order. All members are here except for Alderman Wuteska. We have a quorum. Um can we get approval of the minutes from our last meeting? I'll make a motion to approve the minutes from last meeting as submitted in the packet. I'll second it. Wells I'm the motion passes unanimously. All right, our first uh order of business is to review the and have possible action on revised E2 vehicle collision control and accident reporting policy. Thank you. Uh both of the policies that we are reviewing today um are being brought before you because the city was awarded a federal grant for the design of two pedestrian bridges over the Walkershaw bypass, and federal grants have certain requirements that we have to follow. So the first policy, the E2 policy, the most significant change was the addition of the prohibited conduct and distracted unsafe driving language. Um that was the standard requirement that we needed to add. Plus, we added some additional information to ensure our staff make sure they are driving safely and attentively. And then at the bottom, or the last section, we removed reference to preventable and non-preventable accidents because that determination is no longer going to be made by regular employees, those will be made by uh police staff if a ticket is is given or in things like that. So those are the most significant changes for this policy. Um are there any questions? Well Marie Christine, then I'll do the wells. Oh everybody, Matthews. Thank you, Marquis. The is this grant specifically for the city's discretion to use that, or is it going to 100% go towards the pedestrian bridges? I can't speak to that part. I just was told, hey, we need to update our policies. So I don't have to I I like grants, but I also like grants and we have control over them. Right. I can't answer that, unfortunately. Can you remind me does do HR policies affect police and fire as well? Would they be including that bro? Because I know they've got their own set of rules and right. For the most part, they do. Um, the only time that they typically don't is if there's a caveat that says with the exception of bargained, you know, staff or whatever, or let's say the CBA supersedes anything in the policy, but for the most part, yes. Because I know that police and fire vehicles squads, especially tend to have a lot of hardware with screens. Right, right. And function, I don't know if there's a huge difference between a cell phone texting and your dispatch orders and your exactly. And even with a situation like that, of course, that's not we wouldn't consider that distracted driving. That's literally part of your job. You literally have to have that to do your job. So we wouldn't consider that as distracted. Do we feel like we need to specify that? Because I I would imagine PRF might have their own dispatch software. They might say, you know, we could have policies that say don't use that. But where do you draw the lines as far as like this is part of your job? This is also part of your job, but you can't do all your driving or have the vehicle in motion. That you as a committee can tell me what you want to do. If that's what the committee wants me to do, I can add that language. I don't have a problem with that. Yeah, and I guess I wouldn't be prepared to make an edit without staff kind of giving us options or direction because I I don't know all the duties that I'm going to go. Unless we just do a straight carve out for police and fire. But I don't know that I want to completely exempt police and fire from this policy. So what would you like to do? Would it be something you guys could look into?
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