July 10, 2017 at 4:12 p.m.
Finance committee recommends promoting payroll clerk to finance director position
Finance committee recommends promoting payroll clerk to finance director position
If her promotion is approved, Bixby, who is currently the finance department's payroll specialist, will replace Julie Ostrander, who resigned after 8 years with the city of Rhinelander to become the director of administration with the city of Lodi in southern Wisconsin.
Interim city administrator Keith Kost and mayor Dick Johns interviewed candidates for the position.
"We had some good candidates, we even had candidates with MBAs, but Wendi has knowledge of what needs to be done," Kost said. "When Julie left on May 12, Wendi and Beth (Mannikko, finance assistant/utility billing clerk) both stepped up, haven't missed a beat whatsoever."
He then recommended Bixby be promoted to the finance director position.
"I think she can handle it without any problem," Kost added.
Committee chair Mark Pelletier noted that the payroll specialist was a part-time position at one point.
"We had a hard time keeping anybody because you weren't given benefits and it was an intricate enough job that you could find a full-time job somewhere else," Pelletier said. "By making it a full-time position, they ended up taking on some of the stuff in the finance department above and beyond payroll. And that kind of worked out perfect this time."
Alderperson Dawn Rog said Bixby's hiring comes at a critical time for the city.
"(It looks like) you're ready to roll into the budget, which I'm sure Keith and you will do a great job," Rog said.
Bixby told the committee she will be attending the Municipal Treasurer Institute next week.
"That's one of the things we're going to discuss, the fundamentals of budgeting," she said.
The motion to hire Bixby was approved unanimously by the committee.
If approved by the council, she will be placed at Grade O, Step 1 on the city's wage scale and be paid $30.29 an hour or $63,003 annually.
After the vote, the discussion turned to filling the position vacated by Kathy Johnson, who retired in May as the administrative assistant to the city administrator. Kost recommended Stephanie Rajnicek of Muskego take the position. Kost said Rajnicek has already been hired and will be starting at the end of July.
"She does all of the payroll for the city, as well as HR and as well as the assistant to the mayor and administrator," Kost said. "So, for the time being, I think that we should not fill that (Bixby's position as payroll clerk) and see if that is something Stephanie can do and we can combine a couple positions here. And if that does work, then I can come back and ask for a little more money for her."
Kost said another option he has been considering is outsourcing the duties of the payroll clerk.
"I talked to Wendi and we can get through this, as we have before," he said. "Actually, Beth will be doing the payroll next week while Wendi is at the treasurer's conference. So I don't see a reason right now to immediately post and fill this (position), I'd like to get a couple months under our belt and see where we're at."
Pelletier said he like the idea of not immediately filling the soon-to-be vacant position.
"It gives us a lot of opportunities and some flexibility," he said.
He noted that Rajnicek's human resources experience will make her an ideal assistant for the city administrator.
"Just the whole combination (of skills) is attractive," Pelletier said.
Kost said that the Rajniceks own a house in Lake Tomahawk and it has been "their lifelong dream to come up here."
The committee also approved changing the job titles of the street/water superintendent and wastewater operator in charge to foreman of the respective departments. Although the job titles would change, the duties and responsibilities, as well as salary, will remain the same.
Alderperson Sherrie Belliveau questioned the lack of change in salary, stating it was her understanding that former street superintendent Tony Gilman's pay was well above where it should have been on the wage and salary scale. She also questioned if this would require a change to the organizational chart in the department of public works.
Kost disagreed.
"We posted Tony's position (when he left on May 23 to take a nearly identical job in Baraboo), we advertised it at considerable less than Tony was making, and more in line with what the others are making," Kost said. "This harkens back to what you did in 2013, when you made the department of public works with three divisions."
Public works director Tim Kingman said only the wastewater OIC duties and responsibilities required being on call. He added that some tweaking of responsibilities would have to be done on that position in the future.
Rog asked if there was a water main break, wouldn't that end up requiring calling in people in the water/wastewater department?
"That's how it rolls for me, and that's how it rolls for a lot of other people involved," Kingman replied. "I think we need to make that clear."
He said that many times the workman make more money then the superintendents because when they get called in after hours it often results in overtime pay. The water department has a rotating "on call" list, Kingman said.
"All of these departments have sort of a rotating list, yet with the understanding that if you are a workman, and you are called on, you are compensated," Kingman said. "Yet the foremen or supervisors often don't get that and they carry a higher wage as a salary. It isn't always easy to make everybody happy that way, but I think this is a good first step."
The vote to change the job titles was approved unanimously.
The committee also approved payouts of unused benefits for Gilman of $13,068.98, Johnson of $8,130.64 and former street department worker Jeremy Walker of $2,945.13.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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