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Reedsburg council approves employee handbook changes, raises sick-leave payout cap
Summary
The Reedsburg Common Council approved amendments aligning police and city employee personal-day rules, allowing department heads and the city administrator to set nonstandard work weeks, and increasing the annual sick-leave payout cap from 50 to 96 hours; the city estimates an added annual cost of about $17,000–$18,000.
The Reedsburg Common Council on a voice vote approved several personnel-policy changes to the city employee handbook, including aligning police personal-day rules with other city employees, allowing department heads and the city administrator to set normal work weeks to permit four-hour police shifts, and raising the annual sick-leave payout cap.
City Administrator Max explained that the first two amendments are largely clerical: police employees previously operated under different personal-day rules and a separate eight-hour definition of a “normal work week.” The handbook changes make personal-day rules uniform across police and nonpolice staff and give department heads and the city administrator authority to set an individual employee’s normal work week where needed to accommodate four-hour shift schedules.
The council also approved a separate amendment, recommended by the personnel committee and proposed by the police chief, to increase the payout cap for annual sick-leave cash-outs. The payout calculation remains at 50% of accumulated eligible hours, but the maximum eligible hours for payout will rise from 50 hours to 96 hours. City staff told the council that, based on recent payouts, the change would add roughly $17,000–$18,000 to annual liabilities.
Councilmembers discussed that the bulk of previous sick-leave payouts involved police department staff, and supporters said the change would reduce situations where employees forfeit earned leave at the upper accrual thresholds. Opponents did not register a formal vote against the measures during the public voice votes recorded on the transcript; each motion was approved with the council answering "aye" and the chair declaring the motion carried.
Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (receive monthly payments report; receive monthly building permit report; approve Feb. 24, 2025 meeting minutes; receive monthly ambulance reports): Motion by Councilmember Scholten; seconded by Councilmember Heiden; voice vote — approved. - Amendment aligning police and city personal-day rules: Motion by Councilmember Bill Peterson; seconded by Councilmember Kenney; voice vote — approved. - Amendment allowing department heads and the city administrator to set normal work weeks to permit four-hour police shifts: Motion by Councilmember Dave Knudson; seconded by Councilmember Scholten; voice vote — approved. - Amendment increasing the annual sick-leave payout cap from 50 hours to 96 hours (payout remains 50% of eligible hours): Motion by Councilmember Bill Peterson; seconded by Councilmember Dave Moon; voice vote — approved.
The handbook amendments take effect as administrative policy changes; the transcript records no additional ordinance numbers or statutory citations tied to these personnel-policy items. The council did not record detailed roll-call tallies in the transcript excerpts provided; each vote was decided by voice vote and announced as carried.
Ending: City staff also reported upcoming road work near the southern highway approach to Reedsburg and asked members of the public interested in surplus office furnishings from the Lands' End building to contact City Hall.
