Sendik's...

My first visit this morning was fantastic.  These folks know how to do markets!  Every employee had a ready smile, each was willing to be helpful and created a great experience.  Prices seemed to be very competitive.  Food appearance was superb; selection seemed wonderful; ambiance was excellent...who could ask for anything more (great title for a song, huh)?

If this holds true after they've been open for a month or two, and other locations indicate that to be the case, we've got ourselves a real jewel!  Business seemed to be very strong with few parking spaces available.  However, all went very smoothly inside.  And, samples abound!

MIA?

Our fire chief has been under fire (no pun intended) for some time.  He has been the subject of a remedial program that was cause for his 'cost of living' increase being withheld.  To my knowledge, that money still has not been paid.

There have been repeated rumors that he is not always on duty when he claims to be on duty, as well.  He is required to log in and to log out through the central dispatch system when he comes on duty and when he goes off duty throughout the course of every day on which he is scheduled to work.  I happened to drive west on Willow Creek road on September 3rd and noted that the chief's vehicle was parked in the driveway of his home at precisely 11:00AM.  Another source confirmed that the chief was shown as being at the Waste Management facility during that time period.  I thought it strange that he wouldn't be driving his assigned vehicle.  This morning I learned that he apparently was not at Waste Management since another person was looking for him at the same time and was at that location.  That person, I'm told, was Don Otter, the chair of the Police and Fire Commission.

If this is true, and I believe it to be based on my sources, there ought to be some form of action taken.  I am led to believe this happens with some regularity.

Why A Temporary Committee Appointment?

The General Government and Finance Committee met last evening to deal with budget issues.  Three of the four members were present thus constituting a quorum.  The fourth member, Trustee Langer arrived about an hour after the meeting had been convened.

Why did the Committee Chair, Art Zabel, feel it necessary to appoint another trustee, Mel Ewert, to sit in Langer's place?  Code section 2.09 authorizes such an appointment if a quorum is not present however that was not the case last evening.

Fire Department Gear...

The subject of replacement firefighter equipment that was approved and forwarded to the Board for consideration was on the agenda for last night.  The equipment request was nearly scuttled when the Fire Chief, asked if this could be postponed until next year, said yes.  As was indicated in the Village Buzz on August 7th, this equipment was agreed to in return for an ambulance that was able to be postponed.  The department determined that the need for the equipment was more important than the need for another new ambulance at this time.

Trustee Langer, as a former firefighter, initiated a discussion that probably turned the tide and the result was a unanimous vote of approval by the Board.

I am not a firefighter...but it is difficult for me to understand why the chief wasn't more adamant about protecting the safety of the men and women who fight the fires.  To simply roll over in the face of a question seems inappropriate to me.  I would, if I were a firefighter, be very concerned about the leadership displayed.  I am, as a citizen, happy that the people who may someday need to save me will be properly equipped.

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Citizen Observer Program: Yet More Thoughts...

I had indicated that I wouldn't identify the officer with whom I rode but he has indicated that he doesn't mind if I do so.  My assigned 'keeper' was Corporal Dan Delmore, a twelve year veteran of the Germantown Police Department.  He graduated with an Associate degree, found a part-time job as an officer for two different small communities in NE Wisconsin while he tried to find his break.  That came in the form of the Germantown department.

Since then, Cpl. Delmore has completed his Bachelor's degree and has just been awarded his Master's degree in Police Science.  This is an example of the professionalism in our department as well as amongst our police officers.  I confess that I grew up in a world where the local policeman might well have had to take the job because it was all he could find.  His training, if any, was rudimentary.  It is not that way at all anymore...(If it ever was; maybe my recollections have become blurred over the years)....and that is great for you and me.

We were engaged in supporting another officer in a Disorderly Conduct incident during my ride along.  This resulted in me being able to see the process of booking up close.  The person involved was not disruptive and had been through the process before.  I was the only 'newbie' in the booking room.  The photos were taken, the prints were taken (electronically now...not using ink), and the complaint was completed (also electronic).  The accused was permitted to make calls to try to arrange for bail money.  That looked promising early on but it fell apart after the booking was completed.  We learned that after returning to the squad and resuming patrol when a message was received from the arresting officer that he was en route to the Washington County jail.

As I reflect on these experiences, I am amazed that our officers don't become jaded by everything to which they're exposed.  It must be very difficult to avoid seeing the entire community through the prism of illegal conduct.  I was surprised that the officers who were on the scene in this incident were able to defuse a tense situation without any significant force being used.  The tempers were calmed.  The players seemed to have accepted their individual roles in the situation and were resigned to the situation that resulted.  The presence of authority, the knowledge that force was a possibility and the professionalism of the police officers made this something survivable for all the participants. 

I asked Cpl. Delmore about the thought of not surviving another day.  He told me that he is aware of that every time he leaves the Police station.  I guess you need to understand your vulnerabilities so that you're able to guard against complacency.  This is, after all, a matter of life and death.

It is not just a 'ride along' as it was for me.

Village Investments...

I sought out some information from Kim Rath, Germantown's Director of Finance and Treasurer based on the article I read in the August 14th column in the Community Now newspaper.  That mentioned that the village had some $25 million in invested funds and I was curious.  That seemed like a lot of money for a community fighting through tax issues, and so on.

Ms. Rath was more than helpful, even responding when she wasn't in the office.  She advised that the $25 million was the amount that the village had on hand on that date.  It included current operating cash as well as the total of all funds.  Those funds included the general fund, utilities, impact fees, special revenue funds, TIF funds and capital project (borrowed) funds.

I had also asked about the reserves carried by the village.  She advised that, in round numbers, there is an estimated $1.5 million in general fund reserves, approximately $1.5 million in the water utility fund and about $5.4 million in the sewer utility fund.

I wondered how these amounts were invested, other than the cash accounts.  Ms. Rath advised that the new organization, RBC would be managing some $3 million that was comprised of some general fund monies, impact fees, special revenue funds (canine and asset forfeitures), water and sewer utility funds and the health and dental plan funds.  The current operating funds are held in the State Trust fund and by Associated Bank.

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Citizen Observer Program:  More Thoughts...

I related a few of the things that happened in the first hour of my ride along.   The accident required a significant amount of time for the gathering of witness information, photographs depicting the damage to both vehicles, diagramming of the scene for future reference, checking of driver's license and vehicle registrations, etc., etc.  The team of officers that were on the scene seemed to understand what the officer in charge needed in terms of assistance.  The fire and EMT crews operated virtually independently of the police team assuring that any injuries were dealt with quickly, and assisting with any spills, etc. that might have been present. 

As soon as this was over, we were back on patrol.  The officer to whom I had been assigned knew his area very well.  If there were likely areas for speeding, he knew them.  He predicted that we'd see a speeder after pulling off to the side of the road, and there couldn't have been more than a two minute time period elapsed before it happened.  A young man came over a rise and was immediately tagged at something in the range of twenty miles per hour over the limit.  He reacted almost instantly as he passed the squad and recognized it as a squad.  By the time the officer had turned to go back in that direction, the truck was pulling over.  As a matter of fact, there was no hesitation on the part of any of the drivers stopped during this tour.  Everyone seemed to realize that he or she was the intended target of the flashing lights.

My observations of each incident was made from a few feet behind the officer as he interviewed the occupants, tried to make determinations about the presence of alcohol, etc.  Several of the incidents involved people with prior records that were less than 12 months old.  Several involved alcohol use by a person between the ages of 18 and 21.  Several involved people driving with suspended licenses.  I was quite surprised at the numbers and the officer confirmed that what I was seeing was more the norm than an exception.

We returned to the police building at about 10:00PM where the third shift roll call was being conducted.  At the beginning of each duty shift, the officers are briefed on the things that have already happened on the preceding shift as well as any other special situations that may be important to them.

Each officer is assigned a patrol area, checks the assigned squad vehicle extensively to assure everything is in order, verifies the calibration of the onboard 'radar' system, etc.  The trunk of a squad car is full of equipment including a GPS unit so that the dispatcher and other officers are aware of where each unit is at a given time.  Laptop computers are found in each squad.  There was a system 'bug' that evening and we were without the computer until the time of the accident when the Captain brought a plug-in air card with him.  That worked well through the rest of the ride.  The dispatchers were on top of their games as well.  Requested data was relayed quickly using both plain language and the '10' language I grew up with when watching Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford (how's that for dating one's self?)

It is a very effective team that responds well under pressure.

More to come in the next day or two.

Citizen Observer Program: Initial Observations...

I have always thought that 'someday' I'd love to be able to spend a little time with a police officer during duty hours.  That seemed like a good way to gather information about how they function, what they encounter, and about our community.

Well, the Citizen Observer role was mine during the period from 6:00PM on Saturday through 2:00AM on Sunday.  I was assigned to one of the officers who would be out and about.  I would love to name the officer, but they are a team and I would only be able, in that manner, to call out a single person.  This team is composed of those who handle incoming calls and dispatch officers to situations.  It involves the leadership team in place for every shift; they are sometimes seen at various locations and other times are largely behind the scenes.  It involves those officers who walk into the situation having to be prepared for any eventuality.  And, it involves the support people back in the headquarters location.

My intent is to do a series of Village Buzz editions that discuss our public safety arena.  I will tell you up front that I am a solid booster for Chief Pete Hoell and his team.  They do a lot that most of us never know about, but those are the things that need to be taken care of to give us the peace of mind we enjoy in our community.  They are the reason I can go to bed each night without worrying about my safety and that of my loved ones.

Our 'tour of duty' involved young cyclists being praised for wearing their helmets while being reminded to always ride on the side of the roadway.  That earned them a couple of free McDonald's cones and probably a little higher heart rate than they'd had just before their encounter.  I saw a very compassionate and caring officer who was thinking about them, about the reputation of the force and about the community.

A pizza delivery person enjoyed a little break while he learned that one of his headlights was out.  Two young people were in a vehicle that had 'blacked out' windows which were beyond the permissible level.  One of them proved to have been consuming alcohol while under the legal age.  Another call involved an auto accident that, thankfully, didn't seem to result in serious injury although the fire department EMT team succeeded in having the young female driver taken to Community Memorial just to be sure there were no concealed problems of which she was unaware.

Interestingly enough, that call actually occupied every available squad, a fire engine and an ambulance.  We were critically short of response capability during that episode.  Had a fire, ambulance or accident call (or combination) hit during that period, the overall response would have been challenging to say the least.  These are things we don't think much about except when village budget time rolls around and we try to find ways to cut costs.  Or when we are the ones waiting for help.  Some cuts hit muscle and not fat.

The things mentioned above occurred in the first hour of my full shift 'ride along'.  As I was reminded, this was way before the closing time for bars and taverns when the police and fire team often finds itself very gainfully employed.

My overall initial observations were these:  Our police department is operating in a lean manner.  It has space issues even with the old library building having been in use for some time.  We need to find a way to accommodate more space at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.  The patrol force has not been expanded in numbers for years even though our population has been increasing on a regular basis.  Paper work still is a signifcant time consumer even with computers, etc.  An upgrade to the current system hoped to be accomplished in the next year will see printers in each squad to eliminate the actual hand writing of every ticket.  (And no, there isn't a 'quota' of tickets for the officer.  That is against the law.)  Morale appears to be very high; the team seems quite functional while permitting some individual flexibility in how the officer pursues his or her shift.  This strikes me as a professional unit and that comes from the top all the way down the depth chart.

I feel proud of them as a citizen and taxpayer.

Karthauser Greenhouse Construction...

I received an email asking what was being built in front of the Karthauser Greenhouse complex along Hwy 145.  I hadn't noticed this and asked Trustee Al Vanderheiden if he could shed light on this for the reader and me.

He responded that it was a berm.  A contractor involved in a DOT project was apparently looking for a site where dirt could be disposed of and thought to ask this firm if it would like a berm.  Unfortunately, apparently nothing was discussed with the Village Planning Commission and a halt has been called until that can be accomplished according to Vanderheiden.

Special Committee of the Whole Meeting Wednesday...

A Committee of the Whole meeting has been called for this coming Wednesday evening and will be conducted behind closed doors.  The indications are that this meeting has been called to review several personnel situations.  Fire Chief Gary Pollpeter's performance is to be discussed as well as that of Village Administrator Dave Schornack.  The inclusion of Mr. Schornack is a bit of a surprise from my perspective.  Chief Pollpeter has come under criticism from Trustee Jim Langer as has been reported.

In terms of unofficial 'buzz', I had thought that Mr. Schornack had been felt to be performing well based on comments, Board meetings, etc.  He had been tasked with a plan of action aimed at curing issues the Board seemed to feel were apparent with the Fire Chief.  I don't know if the two discussions each involve the other or not.

A third agenda item is said to be a discussion of the search for a new Public Works department head. 

No action is able to be taken in such meetings, so it is likely some time will pass before we begin to discern what has taken place and on what, if anything, action will be taken.

There can certainly be intrigue and infighting even at the village level.  Although few will ever admit this.

There are apparently some rules regarding the conduct of exit interviews when an employee (or volunteer in the case of firefighters/EMTs) leaves the position.  Those don't always occur and, in some cases, could become an adversarial encounter depending upon circumstances involved.

Trustee Jim Langer has, I think, an excellent idea and that is requiring exit interviews and requiring that those be done by the human resource director.

I'd hope for there to be some caveats included:

The exit interview would be recorded (audio at least) from start to finish and the tapes would become public records.  The interviews would follow an agreed upon routine with all interview guidelines and questions published as part of the village policy statement concerning employment or volunteer positions such as those in the fire department.  The person being interviewed would have the right to be represented by counsel by providing notice prior to the hearing to that effect.  These new policies and procedures would supersede any and all existing policies and procedures.

All people who leave an organization leave for at least one reason and often more than one reason.  Those retiring may elect to retire early for some reason.  Those being terminated should have the opportunity to state their opinions and vent their grievances.  Those who have found a better job may be able to offer ideas or thoughts that will be helpful to the village in the future.

Exit interviews can be rewarding to both parties, one party or neither party.  That is simply the way it is.  But, there is a certain check and balance process that is triggered through exit interviews.  If, for example, one department loses three people in short order and if each has similar complaints that they claim led to their decision to leave, some initial conclusions might be drawn.  Leaders might conclude that there is a need to counsel the department head or to review compensation tables or any of a number of other things.

Exit interviews should be done by a person as disinterested as possible since the immediate superior may be the reason for the departure.  The recordings will, ideally, establish the full story of the departing person.  That story may be simple 'sour grapes', or it may point to very real issues needing resolution.  The weight of multiple departures with the same 'sour grapes' reason(s) claimed as part of the cause should serve to point to a possible problem even though it sounds like 'sour grapes'. 

Our village relies on relatively few people to make it work.  The loss of a key person can be problematic.  The loss of several people at the lower rungs can be problematic.  The loss of volunteers can be problematic.  The loss of anyone should give leadership the reason to pause and reflect.  Was there some underlying issue that could've caused the loss to be avoided?  If pay scales are the issue, then there may be a need to review that structure if we expect to be able to continue to attract solid performers.  If management styles are the issue, then village leaders need to reflect on those and make adjustments to avoid that becoming a continuing issue.  Managers can be 'in the dark' about their personal management styles, and exit interviews can help focus their own attention on personal shortcomings.

There is, inherently, relatively lower turn-over in villages and cities than in the private sector workplace.  Once one is employed by the Village of Germantown, for example, there is a clear set of expectations, there is a decent income, there are good benefit programs, there is stability of employment, and there is a decent working environment.  Turn-over rates of 15% to 20% are not at all unusual in the private sector, and yet those rates are unheard of in the public sector where 5% to 7% or even less might be closer to the norm.

We all want Germantown to be a good place in which to live and work, and we cannot reach and maintain that 'nirvana' unless those who help keep everything working as we expect also see Germantown as being a good place to live and work.

Exit interviews such as described above will certainly help us get to and stay at that point.

President Kempinski has made his committee assignments for the coming year and the Board has approved those assignments.

Notable, and laudable, is the fact that Trustee Langer is no longer Chair of the Public Safety Committee and does not sit on that committee any longer.  Given Trustee Langer's former role as a POC firefighter for the Germantown department, this removes any appearance that might have suggested a personal agenda present in decisions made on that committee.

President Kempinski is to be thanked for this action to assure good governance and to reassure the community at large that local affairs will be decided without obvious biases. 

The new Chairman is Trustee Dean Wolter and the committee has a new member in the person of Trustee Jeff Werderman, newly elected as a trustee.

This committee deals with serious issues that affect our public safety: the police and fire departments and public safety in general.  These are among the most visible services provided by Germantown for its citizens, and are certainly among those services that impact life itself more than most other village functions.  Our firefighters and EMTs and our police officers are, in my opinion, doing a great job.  If there are ways in which the two departments might be improved, Trustee Wolter will likely work in those directions.  His service to this point has been very solid and there is no reason to believe that will change during this term in office.

Again, thanks to President Kempinski for this decision.