City Service Commissioners approve routine personnel actions, lay over discharge appeal to Feb. 25

The Board of City Service Commissioners on Feb. 11 approved a slate of routine personnel actions, including temporary appointment extensions, a reinstatement, a probationary-period extension and two position exemptions, and it laid over a discharge-appeal matter to the commission’s Feb. 25 meeting while the parties finalize a likely settlement.

The actions affect employees across multiple city departments: Milwaukee Water Works, the Department of Public Works, Milwaukee Public Library and the Milwaukee Health Department. Commissioners Miller, Smith and Cleary recorded “yes” votes on each action as read into the record by the executive secretary; no recorded “no,” abstain or recused votes were recorded in the transcript.

Commission business began with approval of the Jan. 28, 2025 meeting minutes (file 241,624). The board then approved temporary appointment extensions requested by Milwaukee Water Works for Michael Watts (file 241,625), extended 8 weeks retroactive to Feb. 2, 2025, and Zachary Zapkowski (file 241,626), extended three months from Feb. 16 through May 24, 2025, both cited as responses to increased winter workloads and water-main breaks. The board also approved a six-month extension for David Espinosa (file 241,627) in the Department of Public Works’ sanitation services division, to run Feb. 16 through Aug. 15, 2025; staff materials said Espinosa is filling in for an employee who was on temporary appointment and that the position includes mechanic and lead-worker duties.

The commission approved a reinstatement request for Isaiah Hargrove to return to the Department of Public Works as an equipment operator 1 (file 241,628). Commissioners were told that commission rules require reinstatement requests to be approved both by the former department and by the commission; a letter from the department and the reinstatement paperwork were made part of the record.

The board approved a six-month probationary-period extension for Cal Thorsen, human resources assistant at the Milwaukee Public Library, from Feb. 13, 2025, through Aug. 13, 2025 (file 241,629). Danielle Robleski, who connected to the meeting to answer questions, said Thorsen was aware of the extension request and that library staff had worked with the employee on a performance-improvement plan. "He is. Yes. We've had two meetings about it ... He is aware that we are requesting his probation be extended until August," Robleski said.

Two position-classification requests were approved. The Milwaukee Health Department’s request to reexempt a marketing and communications coordinator position (pay range 2JX, file 241,630) was approved; the department said the position will support public-health campaigns and coordinate with existing communications staff. The Department of City Development’s request to exempt a grant-funded associate planner position (pay range 2KX, file 241,631) was granted as a one-time exemption after commissioners expressed concern about creating a precedent; the deputy commissioner noted the position is grant-funded and intended to remove barriers to housing development.

For agenda item 11 (file 241,632), the board was told a discharge-appeal hearing for Sharon Crow of the city attorney’s office had been held in abeyance because the parties were negotiating a probable settlement. The commission voted to lay that matter over to its next regular meeting on Feb. 25 so the parties could finalize details. The executive secretary described the options for the Feb. 25 meeting as either a status report, a settlement report, or scheduling the matter for hearing if the parties do not settle.

Votes at a glance

- File 241,624 — Approval of Jan. 28, 2025 minutes: approved. Vote recorded: Commissioner Miller — yes; Commissioner Smith — yes; Commissioner Cleary — yes. - File 241,625 — Extend temporary appointment, Michael Watts (water field supervisor), 8 weeks retroactive to Feb. 2, 2025: approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,626 — Extend temporary appointment, Zachary Zapkowski (water repair crew leader), Feb. 16–May 24, 2025: approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,627 — Extend temporary appointment, David Espinosa (sanitation mechanic/lead worker), Feb. 16–Aug. 15, 2025: approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,628 — Reinstatement request, Isaiah Hargrove (equipment operator 1): approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,629 — Extend probationary period, Cal Thorsen (human resources assistant, Milwaukee Public Library), Feb. 13–Aug. 13, 2025: approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,630 — Reexempt marketing and communications coordinator (Milwaukee Health Department), pay range 2JX: approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,631 — Exempt associate planner (Department of City Development), pay range 2KX; approved as a one-time exemption: approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes. - File 241,632 — Discharge appeal (Sharon Crow): laid over to Feb. 25, 2025 for status/settlement report or scheduling; motion to lay over approved. Vote recorded: Miller — yes; Smith — yes; Cleary — yes.

The meeting record shows limited debate on the items, most of which were approved on motions that were moved, seconded and adopted with unanimous recorded votes among the commissioners who were polled. Commissioners discussed limiting the associate planner exemption to a one-time basis and asked standard questions about whether employees were aware of probation-extension requests; those clarifications were supplied in staff letters or by department representatives during the meeting.

The commission adjourned at the close of the agenda.