Mondovi Council amends city ordinance for hiring police chief

by Beth Kraft

Discussing and acting upon numerous changes on the horizon for the Mondovi Police Department was at the top of the City Council’s to-do list at its first regular meeting of the month on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

City leaders adopted an amended ordinance for the city to use in the hiring of a new police chief, discussed the qualifications and salary to be assigned to the position, and considered tweaks for MPD staffing.

The changes and conversations on the table that night resulted in numerous legal questions for city attorney Sam Schlewitz, who was on hand that evening and able answer the Council’s questions or made promises to research areas of concern.

Of the three pre-existing sections to the city’s ordinance handling the hiring of a chief of police, only the second section (b) received any changes. The new language echoes feedback from the city’s Citizens Participation Committee, which suggested the city utilize a committee consisting of members with expertise in certain areas, such as law enforcement and human resources.

The committee is slated to consist of five members, two with the aforementioned backgrounds and three more to be appointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by a two-thirds vote by the Council.

Past ordinance language dictated the city select two Council members and a supervisor to make a recommendation for the police chief’s position, a process that received heavy criticism from the public.

Under the newly-adjusted ordinance, the selection committee is to choose at least two police chief candidates for consideration and report on their qualifications to the Mayor and Council.

The Council would then more than likely wish to interview the candidates selected by the committee, city administrator Dan Lauersdorf said. The Mayor would then have the option to appoint a candidate to the position of chief of police, subject to confirmation by a two-thirds vote of the Council. The committee would effectively conduct the initial rounds of interviews for the position.

The Council unanimously approved the amended ordinance, 6-0, but a few councilmen voiced concerns regarding related topics not addressed by the ordinance.

Gerald Rud questioned how the city would go about removing an individual appointed to the position of police chief if they didn’t pan out. Schlewitz said a two-thirds vote by the Council could accomplish that task if necessary. Whether or not a probationary period is in effect shouldn’t matter, Schlewitz added.

Possible conflicts of interest with Council members being asked to vote on candidates they know well was also brought up. Rud pointed out that abstaining from a vote is essentially the same as a ‘no’ vote.

“We’re just going to have to cross that bridge when we get there,” commented councilman Dan Johnson.

Following approval of the amended ordinance, Mayor Treig Pronschinske promised to provide his list of appointments for the police chief hiring committee to the Council at the group’s next meeting, slated to take place this coming Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Also discussed that night were the qualifications the city should use to select its next police chief and an appropriate salary for the position.

Lauersdorf contacted several area communities of similar size as Mondovi, including Durand, Arcadia, Osseo, Baldwin, and Ellsworth, to learn the qualifications they turn to when hiring a new police chief.

In addition to standard qualifications such as possession of a valid driver’s license and WI-LESB certification, four of the cities surveyed require at least 60 college credits in law enforcement. Durand, Baldwin and Ellsworth all required varying years of experience, at least two years of supervisory experience and residency requirements.

Osseo was the only city lacking a list of specific qualifications, noting it has hired from within in the past.

Salaries for all five cities ranged from about $53,000-$67,000. 

At the time of his retirement at the end of December, Terry Pittman’s annual salary as MPD chief was just under $67,000.

Interestingly enough, all five communities reported hiring a new police chief within the last four years.

Glancing at Lauersdorf’s research, Rud and Johnson pointed out that requiring supervisory experience would effectively eliminate the city’s ability to promote from within under the MPD’s current structure.

The city could enforce a residency requirement stipulating that the new chief reside within 15 minutes of the city, but Act 10 now prevents municipalities from requiring a police chief to reside in the city limits, Lauersdorf said.

Council members agreed it was important to the safety of the city for its police chief to live close by.

However, questions regarding which qualifications would be suitable to the police chief’s position in Mondovi and salary during a possible probationary period for the new chief caused the Council to table action on those subjects. The group referred to Schlewitz for advice on a probationary period and could act on compiling a list of qualifications for police chief and determining a salary for the position at its next meeting.

Resurrecting a sergeant’s position to act as second-in-command at the MPD when the chief is not available was also discussed that night.

The subject was another suggestion brought forward by the Citizens Participation Committee, which Mayor Pronschinske agreed would be a good idea to implement.

“The chief is not always available,” he said. “We have to be realistic.”

Mondovi has not had a sergeant since Butch Schreiner left the position in 1999 to become Buffalo County Sheriff. A new sergeant was never appointed.

MPD officer in charge Scott Smith said a sergeant would work the opposite shift as the police chief to help with supervision and would be a helpful resource for younger officers.

The city’s current ordinance dictates the chief should be the one to appoint a sergeant. This created another question for Schlewitz to answer as city leaders wondered how they might go about filling the position with no chief in place at present.

The Council also approved raising the hourly pay rate for reserve officers that night in hopes of helping Smith fill up his patrol schedule. The MPD is currently short one full-time officer until the city names its next chief.

Reserve officer pay was set at $14 per hour beginning Jan. 25 to be adjusted annually. The pay rate received a long-overdue increase, having stagnated at $8.25 per hour in Mondovi for about 15 years, Pronschinske said.

Most communities offer their reserve officers $12-$16 per hour, Pronschinske noted. Smith agreed upping the pay scale would help attract qualified reserve officers.

Deciding what to do with over 40 years worth of paper records stored at the MPD was also a topic of much discussion.

Schlewitz said Smith asked him what he should do with them, as the old files take up multiple file cabinets. Some even contain documents with faded ink that can no longer be read.

“It’s a big process,” Schlewitz said of state laws on the destruction of records.

The city will need to pass an ordinance describing its intentions with all types of records. Schlewitz said he’s seen document descriptions take up dozens of pages. Informing the state and the Wisconsin Historical Society of the city’s intentions to clean house of any old records is also part of the process.

City leaders agreed drafting an ordinance to sift through the mounting store of MPD records should be an upcoming project.

Smith also provided the Council with a status report of the MPD, including several changes he has made since being named officer in charge late last year.

Smith said he is in the process of purchasing an answering machine to establish a tip line at the police department. Offerings such as temporary license plates, fingerprinting and affidavit forms have also been established. Various department housekeeping procedures and updates were also relayed to the Council.

In other business that night, the Council approved the following:

• accept retirement letter from city employee James Marsolek, effective Feb. 13, with thanks for his 40 years of service

• Class “B” picnic license for Mondovi Conservation Club Inc. Ice Fishing Contest (Stephen Larson), Feb. 8, 2015; operator licenses for Shanon T. Odegard (Joe’s Shop Kwik), Maegan K. Olson (Dregney’s Double Dz-2), Amy Fedie (Local Inn)