Concerns from workers, union over new Department of Public Works plan

Several town employees and union leaders used the public comment period to press the board for specifics about a newly created Department of Public Works and how the change would affect current staff. Cole Mar, who identified himself as a water maintainer, asked: "Why was the creation of the DPW not put to our vote for our community?" He also asked which departments would be impacted and what would happen to employees who moved into the new structure.

Union representatives urged collaboration with labor-management processes. Tom Gabak, introduced as a local union president, told the board the union could help "with the full process" and encouraged monthly labor-management meetings. Town staff and the supervisor described the administrative steps: duty statements and proposed job titles will be sent to the county personnel office; titles would likely be MEO, laborer or maintainer; and transfers would follow county civil-service rules. The supervisor responded to staffing fears directly: "No one's gonna lose their job at work," and said the town budgeted at most "one more full-time employee."

Workers also asked whether transfers would trigger probationary periods. Board members noted an existing transfer rule and a county civil-service transfer provision that can include an 8-to-26-week probation, but said the appointing authority (the town board) could elect to waive the probationary period with written notice to the transferee and the personnel officer. The board discussed waiving probation for transfers to avoid penalizing employees who have been longtime town staff.

The exchange ended without binding personnel decisions: board members directed staff to prepare duty statements, submit them to the county personnel office, and finalize whether the board will waive probation rules before transfers occur.