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Wausau Waterworks Commission presses HR, staff for plan to address growing staffing shortfall
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a Baker Tilly staffing assessment and discussed steps including updated job descriptions, a targeted wage review, contracted safety training, and an asset-management investment; HR director said she will bring detailed proposals and requested more HR staffing.
The Wausau Waterworks Commission on July 8 discussed options to address persistent staffing shortages, recruitment and retention challenges, and wage competitiveness after the commission reviewed a Baker Tilly staffing assessment first completed in late 2022.
Eric (utility staff) told commissioners the assessment offered useful observations but that many recommendations remain unfinished; he and HR Director Lisa Nowak said the commission needs to act to avoid compounding operational risk. “This is kind of the start of the discussion,” Eric said, noting the utility has been working with Nowak to update job descriptions and identify cost implications.
Nowak said compensation is only part of the picture and that Baker Tilly’s qualitative observations complement comp-study data. “It’s not just any one thing that has caused a lot of these issues, so it’s not gonna be any one little thing that’s gonna fix them,” Nowak said. She told the commission she will seek additional HR associates to provide the bandwidth to support job-description updates, classification work and manager coaching across departments.
Commissioners asked for clearer cost estimates before approving changes. Commissioner Hadley said she needs specific numbers to decide on adding staff or wage adjustments and raised concern about the commission and HR having previously sent mixed signals on responsibility for personnel decisions.
Staff described discrete, near-term actions that could be taken before a full reclassification and wage study is complete. Those include contracting out safety training the utility has struggled to manage internally, implementing leak detection and prioritizing meter replacements, and purchasing project-management or asset-management systems. Utility staff estimated the asset-management implementation budget at roughly $500,000 to $600,000 and said it was previously deferred while the city implemented its Workday system.
Commissioners stressed speed on the highest-risk items: staff said the utility is currently about one-quarter short of its authorized staff and that mentoring and onboarding programs have been lacking, increasing turnover. The commission directed staff to continue work with HR and return with detailed cost estimates and proposed timeline; staff said they expect a progress update at the August meeting.
Ending: No formal personnel actions were taken at the July meeting. HR Director Nowak said she will present updated job descriptions, compensation comparables and requests for additional HR resources for consideration in coming weeks.
