Human Resources Committee Approves Multiple Policy Updates - July 15, 2026
Human Resources Committee Meeting - July 15, 2026
The Human Resources Committee of the City of Waukesha met on July 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. Present were committee members (including the Chair, Christine Matthews, and others; Aldermen Wells and Anderson were absent). The committee reviewed and unanimously approved several human resources policy changes, including a new Volunteer Time Off program, updates to telecommuting, vacation leave, motor vehicle use, driving city vehicles, and salary plan administration policies.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the May 20, 2026 HR Committee meeting were approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
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Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Program (ID#26-04032): Staff presented a new program allowing employees to take time off during the workday to volunteer at approved organizations within the city. The program was developed as part of the strategic plan by a subcommittee chaired by the presenter. The committee praised the initiative, noting similar programs in the private sector. The program was approved unanimously.
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Telecommuting/Remote Work Policy (ID#26-04033): Staff presented revisions to Policy B19 to provide more flexibility while maintaining clear expectations. Key changes include: no employee may be 100% remote; remote work is limited to a maximum number of days per week (with a minimum of three days on-site); eligibility is based on workload, availability, and performance; and accommodations for medical needs are handled separately (FMLA/ADA). IT security measures from COVID are already in place, and no additional budget is needed. The policy was approved unanimously.
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Vacation Leave Policy (ID#26-04034): Revisions to Policy C2 included aligning provisions with collective bargaining agreements (police and fire supersede) and limiting retiree vacation payout run-out to a maximum of three weeks effective January 1, 2027. Previously, retirees could run out up to eight weeks, costing the city for benefits and WRS contributions. The three-week limit was questioned but staff explained it reduces costs. The policy was approved unanimously.
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Motor Vehicle Use Policy (ID#26-04035): Staff presented revisions to Policy E2, including a new driving record conviction schedule (points-based): 9 or fewer points allowed, 10-19 requires HR director approval, 20 or more requires city administrator and HR director approval. Language was proposed to allow approved city volunteers to operate city vehicles, changing from "only city employees" to "individuals authorized by the city." The committee also discussed adding a requirement to contact supervisor "as soon as possible" after an accident. The motion included these changes. The policy passed unanimously, though one member expressed concern about the verbal language but was satisfied it would be written in. The chair initially said "two to three" but then declared unanimous; the final tally was unanimous.
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Driving City or Personally Owned Vehicles Policy (ID#26-04036): Revisions to Policy E8A cleaned up language and moved drug testing provisions to other policies. The policy clarifies positive test results and return-to-work conditions, and requires supervisor training. Approved unanimously.
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Salary Plan and Administration Policy (ID#26-04037): Revisions to Policy F2 updated the number of salary grades from 19 to 16, added definitions for merit pay, COLA, and bonus programs, and adjusted promotion increases from a fixed 5% to a range of 5-10% or placement at the minimum of the new range. The committee discussed whether to allow exceptions above 10% with approval from the HR director and city administrator; the final motion included such an exception. The policy was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All six business items (ID#26-04032 through ID#26-04037) passed unanimously.
- The committee noted that the E2 Motor Vehicle Use policy vote was initially reported as "two to three" but later declared unanimous; the chair acknowledged the discrepancy but confirmed the final tally was unanimous.
- The policies will be forwarded to the Common Council for final approval.
Meeting Transcript
My right screen uh HR uh meeting uh alderman Wells and Alderman Mike Anderson are absent. We will take uh roll call I'm here which asked us uh Christine Matthews here. All right, we do have a quorum. Uh next is approval of minutes. Did anyone have a time to review the minutes? I did, and I didn't see anything anything worth changes. All right, I'll make a motion to approve the minutes as outlined in our packet. Do I have a second? I'll second it. All right. Are we voting on our computers tonight or does voice vote? All right, let's uh put it to a vote. Aye. Aye. Aye. All right. That is unanimous. All right, business items. First, we have uh item 26-04032. All right, do you have a presentation? Good evening. No, I don't have a presentation, but um, I'm going to talk about the volunteer um time off program that we have put together. So, as part of the strategic plan, um, some of the directors were tasked with creating subcommittees based off of different um items from the strategic plan. And Marquis had a um committee where within that I am the chair of the volunteer time off um subcommittee. And with that, we've put together um a program where we can create uh more community engagement with employees by offering them the ability to take time off um during the workday to volunteer within the city of Waukesha at approved organizations. Um so that is what is before you is our proposed volunteer time off. Um we've run it through Marquise and Tony to get their blessings on it, and they um are happy to um have moved it forward and I can answer any questions that you might have. Do you have any questions for staff? No, I think it's a uh a great idea. A lot of uh private sectors are doing this, and I'm a recipient of it. Uh several times I've uh seen Paul doing something very similar. I think it's a great idea, and I wish many profit not for profit, let alone missivalities would be doing it. So I'm as a recipient of it, my not-for-profit, I think it's a great idea. Wonderful. All right, since there are no more questions, do I have a motion? Uh motion to approve the volunteer time off program as presented. I'll second it. All righty, we will put it to a vote. Aye. Aye. Aye. That passes unanimously. Next is 26-04033. Thank you. This is the telecommuting uh telecommunity work remote work policy. We actually updated it last year sometime, and the committee during the meeting asked it to make a few more changes, so we did. The purpose of this policy is to allow a little more flexibility for some of our staff. Um it is not guaranteeing that people can work remotely, but it is giving the option to departments who feel that it's appropriate, and it is going to be based off a workload, uh, availability, and performance. If you're a poor performer in the workplace in the building, we don't want you allegedly working from home and not doing your work there. So it's just updating the policy from years and years ago to more current language, more specific guidelines and requirements and um expectations.
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