The Oak Creek Common Council on Dec. 2 adopted a resolution honoring Detective Gary P. Schneider for 19 years and five months of service and approved the city’s 2026 salary ordinance for nonrepresented employees.

Catherine Koskielski read a resolution listing Schneider’s roles, awards and service, noting his work on human-trafficking investigations and his time as an FBI task force officer. Police Chief David Stecker, addressing the council, praised Schneider’s energy and victim advocacy, saying, “If you’ve ever met Gary, he is the definition of the energizer bunny.”

Council members moved to adopt the resolution and recorded ayes to approve it.

On personnel policy, Deputy City Administrator and Finance Officer Max Gagan presented Ordinance No. 3,143, the annual salary and wage ordinance for 2026. Gagan said the ordinance includes a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment for nonrepresented employees, additional market-rate adjustments for certain positions, and an increase in the employee share of medical insurance premiums from 10% to 12%. He estimated the total cost at approximately $678,000, including payroll taxes and Wisconsin Retirement System costs, and said that amount was included in the 2026 budget approved at the prior meeting.

Gagan also told the council that a Labor Association bargaining group will not be certifying beginning next year, so affected employees were incorporated into the salary ordinance and will receive the same adjustments. Council members thanked staff for the work on wages and then voted to adopt the ordinance.

The council also acknowledged a library board-approved salary grade plan for library personnel that matches the 3.5% COLA and filed that plan by resolution.

The actions concluded with formal roll-call votes; the resolutions and ordinance were adopted and will take effect as stated in the ordinances and resolutions on file with the city clerk.