Waukesha City officials consider sending police scheduling software straight to counsel amid tight timeline

At a Waukesha City committee meeting, staff and city officials said they could not take formal action because the meeting lacked a quorum and discussed taking the police department—s proposed InTime scheduling software directly to city counsel or the full council to meet a time-sensitive implementation window.

The discussion matters because the police department expects to complete initial implementation and staff familiarization before Aug. 1, when vacation picks and shift selections for the coming year begin. That schedule drove the recommendation that the item be advanced outside the committee process if necessary.

A city staff member who reviewed the procurement history said the review began last March and that the city paused to evaluate another product, Telestaff, which would have communicated with the department—s Kronos timekeeping system. "This actually started last March," the staff member said. "We were all ready to move forward then we paused, investigated another software, Telestaff for Kronos... That fell apart, and then we kinda went back and said, well, InTime, we'll go with you." The staff member added that the department needs the system in place before Aug. 1 to manage vacation and shift selection scheduling.

Meeting participants described the implementation as a substantial operational effort for the police department. The staff member said the city hoped to start implementation in spring, run dual systems through the early summer, and be fully using the new software before preparing schedules for 2026.

The meeting did not reach a formal decision. "Well, it doesn't look like we're gonna have a quorum. So we can't take action on it," the committee chair said. When the chair described the matter as time sensitive, another participant agreed: "I would say that that qualifies as time sensitive then."

Participants suggested next steps rather than voting. Several speakers recommended that IT and police department representatives attend any counsel or council meeting where the software procurement would be considered so those representatives could answer technical and operational questions. One attendee said: "I would say it would be good to have someone from your team there, Chris, if possible, or someone who's knowledgeable on the software and someone from PD." The city did not record a formal motion or vote at the meeting.

Because no action was taken, staff and IT were left to decide whether to place the item on a future council agenda or to bring it directly to city counsel. The committee recorded the procurement history and the August scheduling deadline as reasons to expedite the next administrative step.

No funding amounts, contract terms, or final vendor selections were decided at the meeting; those details were not specified during the discussion. The committee did not set a new meeting date for a formal decision during the recorded session.

Next steps described in the discussion include IT coordinating with the police department to ensure a PD representative is available at any counsel or council presentation and to confirm an implementation schedule that accommodates vacation- and shift-selection timelines.