Interim police chief appointment on hold in Mondovi
by Beth Kraft
A committee charged with the task of recommending a successor for retiring Mondovi Police Chief Terry Pittman fielded questions and took criticism from Mondovi Mayor Treig Pronschinske and a large group of local residents that packed the Mondovi City Council chambers at the group’s most recent meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Following two meetings in September, the three-member committee consisting of Pittman and Council members Robert Holden and Galen Hagen advised hiring from within the MPD for the position of interim police chief, recommending Bonnie Bertrang.
However, in the weeks since those committee meetings were held no action had been taken by Mondovi Mayor Treig Pronschinske to appoint an interim chief based on the committee’s recommendation due to some pressing concerns.
At last week’s meeting, Pronschinske asked the committee to relay the qualifications of the two candidates who applied for the position, Bertrang and officer Scott Smith, to the Council, referencing the city’s current ordinance for hiring a police chief.
Pronschinske’s request was met with some initial resistance by some Council members. However, several local residents in attendance that night agreed they also had deep concerns for the topic. All three committee members then took turns reading and/or summarizing Bertrang and Smith’s application letters, letters of recommendation, and educational backgrounds as they relate to the position.
In short, Bertrang obtained her associate’s degree in criminal justice from Chippewa Valley Technical College in 2012, graduating with honors. Prior to joining the MPD force full-time in May 2013, Bertrang worked for the Eau Claire Police Department as a community service officer for about a decade, achieving the rank of senior community service officer.
Pittman clarified that Bertrang’s work for the ECPD was a civilian position concerning tasks like handling stray animals and writing parking tickets.
Bertrang’s application also contained a variety of recommendations from former officers and colleagues, including current ECPD chief Jerry Staniszewski, attesting to her strong leadership and interpersonal skills on the job.
Smith has worked for the Mondovi Police Department since 1987, amassing a great deal of experience working with local residents on law enforcement tasks. He also serves as a reserve officer for the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department and was a member of the Mondovi Ambulance Service for eight years.
While Smith has completed training in various police-related subjects over the years and took classes toward a criminal justice degree back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, degree work was never completed.
Committee members explained that current laws require police chiefs to hold a degree, a fact they said essentially excluded Smith from consideration.
“My thinking was we have a very experienced person that unfortunately doesn’t have the qualifications needed to lead the department,” said Hagen of Smith.
The committee added that Smith would have up to five years to complete coursework toward his degree, but wondered if it would open the city up to legal issues in the meantime.
“It’s a very big decision,” Holden said. “We have two very good officers, and we made a tough but good choice.”
Pronschinske agreed the decision was an important one, but questioned if it was made too hastily. He also noted his discovery that few, if any, of either candidate’s references were called for questioning.
Committee members also admitted their decision was made about 10 minutes after interviews with both Bertrang and Smith had been conducted.
“That disappoints me very much so,” Pronschinske said. “I see a huge flaw in this system.”
A lack of defined qualifications for the position and/or evaluation system for determining an interim chief was mentioned and questioned by many of those present.
“You need to look at the process here and be able to justify the process used to hire them,” commented Cindy Giese, a local resident with significant personnel hiring experience.
There was also speculation amongst those in attendance that Bertrang was “recruited” for the position when she was hired, a rumor that Council and police chief hiring committee members vehemently denied.
Pronschinske summarized that the situation boils down to a longtime officer who does not hold a criminal justice/law enforcement degree (Smith) and an individual with an associate’s degree who has been a sworn officer for less than two years (Bertrang).
Pronschinske said he had nothing against either officer, but questioned the committee why an outside search was not conducted to obtain a candidate with more experience as a sworn officer with a degree after Bertrang and Smith’s qualifications became known.
Holden said he believed both candidates are part of the MPD for the right reasons, arguing that he’s noticed hiring from the outside often doesn’t work out in other towns.
He also accused Pronschinske of “filibustering” both committee meetings rather than trusting its recommendation.
“We need an interim chief of police,” Holden said.
“You talk about filibustering, I’m talking about railroading me into a decision prematurely,” Pronschinske responded.
Pittman retired in part on Aug. 14, but plans to stay on as acting police chief through the end of the calendar year helping out as needed.
The Council agreed at a Sept. 9 meeting to amend a policy in the city’s employee manual to let Pittman to use up all of his accrued hours of vacation and comp time, which exceeded the 40 hours normally allowed.
In the meantime, the department is somewhat shorthanded with three full-time officers on staff. Both Bertrang and Smith are jointly in charge of chief’s duties when he is not available, Pittman said.
Councilman Dan Johnson clarified the intent of the hiring process, calling the interim chief’s position a “stop-gap” before the final decision is made in January.
At that point, the interim chief would be evaluated for possible hire as full-time chief or the city could choose to reassess the situation and post the position outside the MPD.
“I think we have to do it all over again to make the official hire,” said Hagen of the interview process, noting it follows in line with a process conducted by the Eau Claire Police Department a few years ago.
Part of the confusion could be attributed to the wording of the Sept. 30 police chief hiring committee minutes.
“After Council approval and a three month probationary period, she (Bertrang) would then be the full time police chief as of January, 2015,” the minutes state.
Nowhere in the minutes from either meeting is the process for evaluating the performance by the interim chief during the probationary period defined, another element that drew concern from Pronschinske and others.
Council members speculated it would be up to the Council and committee to determine job performance, but those in attendance expressed doubt that a candidate’s viability as chief could be determined in just three months.
With questions remaining, Pronschinske said he was not ready to appoint an interim chief. He asked the Council to consider opening up an outside search to make a permanent hire for the city’s new police chief.
Naming an “officer in charge” instead of an interim police chief was suggested by Giese to provide clear leadership in the department until a permanent hire could be made.
Updating and amending the city’s current ordinance for hiring a police chief was also discussed, as the process dates back many decades.
City administrator Dan Lauersdorf said the hiring process for the interim chief position is worded differently than other employee hires, which go through the city’s personnel committee.
By changing the ordinance, the city could align the language for the hiring process for all city employees, Lauersdorf added, a move that could keep a small number of individuals out of uncomfortable positions by clearly defining where police chief appointment decisions should lie.
Some argued that night that Pittman’s involvement in the hiring process could be considered a conflict of interest given his close working relationship with both interim chief candidates.
Councilman Gerald Rud asked Giese for her input on amending ordinance language, citing her extensive background in such matters.
Rud also expressed concern with the timeline of the police chief hiring process, wondering aloud what will happen on Jan. 1 if no replacement chief is yet in place.
“If we’re going to keep arguing back and forth, are we going to end up with a city with part-time law enforcement?” he asked.
Council asked to consider allowing chickens in the city
In other business that night, the Council heard an argument in favor of allowing city residents to raise chickens on residential properties.
Mondovi resident Jamie McGuire appeared before the Council that evening to present examples of ordinances from other Wisconsin towns with regulations for keeping chickens within the city limits.
Pointing to the city’s zoning ordinance, Lauersdorf noted that no livestock, including poultry or fowl, can legally be kept in Mondovi’s city limits unless on a lot zoned for agriculture.
McGuire said the owner of the home before him had chickens, and he had considered getting them himself until he learned it wasn’t legal.
Referencing other city ordinances that regulate the number of chickens homeowners can keep, coop placement, permits, and sanitation requirements, McGuire said he felt many of them offered a good template for Mondovi to follow.
“I think the option of keeping a few hens in the city fits,” McGuire said, pointing to the Mondovi area’s agriculture-inclined culture. “An ordinance like this would give people the opportunity to be a part of that without being a nuisance to other neighbors.”
Lauersdorf said one way for homeowners to legally house chickens on property zoned residential or multi-family would be to appeal the zoning board to grant an exception to the restriction against livestock on a case-by-case basis.
Council members thanked McGuire for his ideas, but agreed to table action on the subject until further research can be conducted.
Continuing a discussion that began at the Council’s Oct. 14 meeting, Chris Pichler of Mondovi Tractor was present at the Council’s meeting last week to answer questions regarding a request to have three-phase power extended to his business.
Pichler said he’s in the process of purchasing new machining equipment that requires a different type of power supply.
According to a map provided at the Council’s Oct. 14 meeting, three-phase power at the industrial park currently stops at the corner where Industrial Drive and Gaylord Avenue split.
Lauersdorf said three-phase power was offered to all industrial park businesses when it was created, but none of the businesses beyond that corner needed it at the time.
Specifications generated by Xcel Energy call for converting about 700 feet of current one-phase power to three-phase in order to reach Mondovi Tractor, located on the far north end of Industrial Dr., at an estimated cost of $10,000-$12,000 to the city.
Pichler explained he could purchase phase converters, but those can run between $4,000-$10,000 apiece and he would eventually need multiple converters to power different equipment.
Council members agreed extending three-phase power to Mondovi Tractor was the right thing to do and would also benefit other industrial park properties should they ever require it.
“Logically if you’re going to have an industrial park, we should be providing the power for people to be there,” said Hagen, who made the motion to approve the request, resulting in a unanimous ‘yes’ vote.
The industrial park’s TIF district wrapped up last year, meaning the added cost of the three-phase power can’t be tacked on there, Lauersdorf said. The city would likely purchase a three-year note from the State Trust Fund to pay for the project from its general fund.
Pichler would also be responsible for some project costs, such as purchasing a transformer for his property.
In other business that night, the Council approved the following:
• award total of two percent wage increase for city employees as two separate motions according to state negotiation requirements
• increase paid incentive for city employees who don’t take health insurance from $150 to $300
• city deputy clerk Dawn Moy to develop a system with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause to record salaried employee hours paid
• award bid for 2015 operating loan in the amount of $510,000 to United Bank at 1.85 percent interest rate, no document fee, maturing on Dec. 31, 2015
• obtain signature stamp for Mayor Treig Pronschinske at cost of $21.60
• Class “B” beer and liquor license, soda/water license and cigarette license for Dregney’s Double DZ-2LLC
