Kiel council approves separate city clerk and treasurer positions, appoints treasurer with immediate pay change

KIEL, Wis. — The Kiel City Council voted Wednesday to split the combined clerk-treasurer role into two separate positions and approved pay actions for both roles after debate about retroactive raises and job duties.

Council members approved keeping Sarah Preisner’s pay at her current rate of $30.76 per hour as city clerk. The council also approved the mayor’s appointment of Nancy (mayoral appointee) as city treasurer at $28.17 per hour effective immediately; the council rejected retroactive pay for the treasurer.

Council members said the move formalizes changes already in practice: employees had been cross-trained and had shared duties since the prior clerk left. Proponents said separating the titles aligns job descriptions and clarifies responsibilities; opponents argued matching pay for both positions and making pay retroactive could set an undesirable precedent.

“I provided the committee at the committee meetings with job descriptions clearly defining what the job duties were,” the mayor said, noting the split had been discussed at prior committee meetings.

Several council members raised concerns about making salary increases retroactive and about tying the two positions to the same pay scale. One council member suggested a graduated wage increase with periodic reviews, saying the employees are relatively new to their expanded roles and recommending revisiting pay after several months.

The council moved next to adopt ordinance 632, amending chapter 1 of the general government code to reflect two separate positions. Council members made a motion to amend ordinance 632 to separate city clerk and city treasurer as distinct appointments; the motion was put to a roll call.

Council discussion also touched on budgetary impacts and the existing wage band. A council member noted the current wage band ranges used by the city and asked for confirmation of where the new rates sit on that scale. Officials said the treasurer’s prior rate was $26.28 and that the proposed $28.17 increase would place the treasurer closer to the clerk’s current rate, though not at the top of the pay scale.

The motions concerning approval of Preisner’s rate and the mayoral appointment of the treasurer were carried by council vote. The ordinance amendment separating the positions was also advanced at the meeting.

The council instructed staff to include the separated positions in the city’s administrative code and to continue reviewing compensation at future meetings.

The action resolves a personnel structure issue the council had discussed at multiple committee meetings earlier this year.