Memo gives Grafton panel power to hire chief

The Grafton Village Board on Monday approved a measure intended to give the village’s Police and Fire Commission clear authority to handle hiring for the Ozaukee Central Fire Department this year.

The measure, which was to be considered by the Ozaukee Central Fire Department Board on Wednesday, March 4, means the commission will be able to hire an interim and permanent fire chief to take over for retiring Fire Chief Bill Rice.

Village Attorney Mike Herbrand told the Village Board that the memorandum of understanding between the fire department and village needs approval from the other three municipalities that are part of the fire department.

The Town of Saukville has already given its consent, he said. The Saukville Village Board is expected to take up the measure during a special meeting on Tuesday, March 10, and the Town of Grafton has yet to consider the memorandum.

Last month, the Grafton Police and Fire Commission was to meet in closed session to consider hiring an interim chief but did not after one of the municipalities raised questions about whether the commission had the authority to make the appointment.

The memorandum answers that question, with Herbrand saying Grafton is the logical community to handle the issue.

“The Ozaukee Central Fire Department exists, but its employees remain Village of Grafton employees,” he said.

The fire department is expected to create a fire commission but has not done so yet, he said.

The memorandum, Herbrand said, gives the Grafton Police and Fire Commission the right to handle hiring, firing and discipline issues.

“We hope we don’t have any firing or discipline issues,” he said. “We do know we’re going to have one hiring decision, and that’s for Chief Rice.”

Rice, who has been with the Grafton Fire Department since 2008 and was appointed its first full-time chief in 2013, is leaving his post on Friday, March 13.

An interim or acting chief will likely be hired, with a permanent chief approved once Rice’s retirement formally starts on May 31, he said.

And given the fact Rice will leave office on Friday, it’s important that a decision be made quickly on how to fill his shoes, officials said.

“The most important thing is we need to approve this tonight so we can get moving on this,” Trustee Lisa Uribe Harbeck said.

The initial memorandum called for the Ozaukee Central Fire Board to provide input on the job description and qualifications as well as the wage and benefit package, but board members questioned whether this input was required.

Instead, several trustees said, the fire department should have the option of providing this input.

A clause that allowed the village attorney to make minor changes to the memorandum as long as they reflected the board’s intent was questioned by Uribe Harbeck, who said the village should have final say.

“I don’t want to let something get away from us,” she said. “This is too gray for me. I feel we’ve talked about everything we want to change.”

Police and Fire Commission Chairman Paul Moroder agreed, telling the board that it’s important the village has the last word on any changes.

“I can’t for the life of me believe you’re looking at it first,” he said, since other communities considering the document later can make changes. “That means the last community signing off on it holds the cards. You’re the ones who are supposed to hold the cards.”

Others said that since the only changes that can be made are minor and in keeping with the intent of the document, it’s an acceptable clause.

Village Administrator Tim Wellnitz noted that this sort of clause is standard language in agreements.

Trustee Andrew Schwartz asked what would happen if one of the participating communities doesn’t approve the agreement.

That’s not likely, Herbrand said.

“From all the attorneys I’m hearing from, they’re indicating their clients are supportive,” he said.