April 14, 2021 at 12:12 p.m.
Waydick explains reasons for retiring to PFC
'I've been frustrated for 6 years at the fire department'
Waydick explains reasons for retiring to PFC
"I'm moving on to things that are better for my family and my health," Waydick told the group.
Waydick's June 4 departure will be the second senior administrative vacancy to occur in the RFD since chief Terry Williams also retired from the department in January. It also leaves the PFC and the city with an even bigger problem to solve while not running afoul of revenue restraints that caused the City Council to find $389,000 in budget cuts last fall.
Waydick told the commission, mayor Chris Frederickson and city administrator Zach Vruwink that it was a combination of factors that caused him to decide to retire, which he formally announced to the commission after he had told the plan commission of his decision at the April 6 meeting.
"Most of my frustration has come over the last 5 or 6 years, and they have built up to the point where I had to look for what is best for me and my family," Waydick said. "I don't think it was any one thing that made me decide to retire. I have a business outside of the fire department that is a hobby right now, and I intend to grow it into a full business. The harder I work, the better it will be for me and my family, and I'll have more time off to enjoy my family."
While he said there wasn't one specific thing that he could point to, he repeatedly referenced something former alderperson Dawn Rog had said on more than one occasion about two or three years ago that had stuck with him.
"When we were doing the wage rate study, it was said (by Rog) 'if you don't like it, find another job, we'll find somebody to replace you,' Waydick said. "That's the one thing that resounds in my head every time I tried to make that decision (on retirement)."
Commission chairman Todd McEldowney asked if the fact he was attempting to do two jobs also a factor?
"That was known going into it," Waydick replied. "A lot of my frustrations over the last several years resulted from the wage rate study. It wasn't that I wasn't getting paid more, it was that over the previous several years since the wage rate study came out the wages were frozen and benefits were taken away, that did weigh in the decision, as well."
"I've been frustrated for 6 years at the fire department," he added.
He said he stuck around because he hoped that once he became chief, he could make changes.
"By the time I got to that position, I was already to a point - don't get me wrong, I've always given 110-percent - but I was already frustrated and burned out, if you will," Waydick said.
He did say that the additional workload has started to effect his health, which also played into his ultimate decision to retire.
Waydick said that back when Bill Bell was the city administrator, he sat down with him and former city attorney Carrie Miljevich to discuss his future with the department and how the department should be laid out going forward. It was suggested that he be made of the ambulance and EMS service as Williams became head of the inspections department. In addition to moving to days to do those duties, he would receive a raise, a take home vehicle, work closer to a 40-hour week, do inspection work after 4 p.m. for which he would be paid in comp time."
"That was before the budget was finished, and that never happened," Waydick said. "I was told it wasn't in the budget and it (Bell's proposal) hadn't been told to anybody."
He said he lost over 290 hours of comp time when he went to days.
"Then the wage rate study came out," he added.
He said that while union firefighters could negotiate for wage increases, as an administrator, he could not. In addition, everyone lost longevity pay and cost of living increases.
Meanwhile, the inspection workload continued to get heavier as the surrounding townships took advantage of using the city inspection department to do their building inspections and commercial inspections were also picked up.
He said at one point he went to Williams and asked about updating the assistant chief's job description.
"His exact words to me, 'We can't do that because we'd have to pay you more,'" Waydick said.
He added he cares about the community, but his wife was seeing him not sleeping as much and getting headaches he never had before.
Waydick added that he was hopeful that the new council would mean some changes for the department, but the lack of a transition plan for when Williams retired and the ever increasing workload took its toll.
"I knew this was going to happen," he said.
Frederickson asked about any other problems in the department that haven't been taken care of yet.
"As the CEO of this city, I want to take care of these problems," Frederickson said. "I know there are trust issues, but nobody will say what those are."
Waydick said that for the last couple years as Williams started contemplating retirement, he started leaving a lot of things for whoever replaced him to deal with.
"Would you say those problems led to the increased stress?" Frederickson asked.
Waydick replied that the budget cuts is something that needs to be addressed because it has led to a reduction in training and other critical line items.
"If I saw that we spent $8,000 on something last year, if somebody said we can do it for $2,000 this year, I don't see how anyone can agree that makes any sense," he said.
He noted that the inspection department now being short-handed with fewer people having the necessary credentials to do the inspections has increased the stress on the remaining people who do, while also taking time away from their duties with the fire department.
"There are not enough people with the credentials to do the work," Waydick said.
Vruwink said the city council was going to be asked to consider splitting the inspection and fire departments back up and hiring a full-time inspector to do the building inspections. He said this move would not cost the fire department a position in the process.
"Obviously the arrangement here is quite unique," Vruwink observed. "It's not customary for municipalities to have this arrangement."
He said the combination of a lack of personnel in the fire department and the departure of Williams and Waydick is forcing the city to seriously consider splitting the two departments up again.
He said how quickly a new inspector can be hired depends on how quickly the council moves to make it happen. A job description would have to be created and the position posted. He hoped this could be done before June 4 so the inspector would have time to shadow Waydick before he leaves.
The group also discussed the job descriptions for fire chief and assistant chief, and McEldowney said that he wanted the commissioners to think about any changes they see that are needed to either job. He also wanted input from Frederickson, Vruwink and the rank and file firefighters.
"We need to work together," McEldowney said, noting that the PFC had the final say according to state statute.
All agree that it is preferred that both positions be filled by promoting from within the RFD, if possible.
The commission will meet again on April 23, at which time it is hoped that all of the financial information will be available on how much room each department has under expenditure restraints.
Expenditure restraints are part of the state levy limit rules, which governs the general fund and the property tax levy.
Under the rules, each municipality can increase its expenditures by certain percentage set by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. If the city can keep their spending at or below that percentage, they receive a expenditure restraint payment.
According to Patty Mayers, communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, the allowable budget percentage increase for the City of Rhinelander for the 2020 ERP worksheet filing period must be less than 2.1 percent. The allowable increase rate for the 2021 budget was 1.6 percent.
Rhinelander received a 2020 ERP payment of $230,577.81 on July 27, 2020 for staying under the expenditure restraint limit. Based on the 2021 Shared Revenue Original Estimate Notice, the city will receive a 2021 ERP payment of $219,258.49 on July 26, 2021 if the budget increase remains below 1.6 percent.
Vruwink said that the city will have a better idea how the overall budget sits by August so that hopefully a new fire chief could be hired sooner rather than near the end of the year.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.