Finance and Personnel Committee

FINANCE AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE A meeting of the Finance and Personnel Committee was called to order by Chair Penterman on Monday, October 20, 2025, at 6:31 pm. Members present: Mayor Penterman, Antoine, DeCoster, Eggleston, Moore, and Schumacher. Also present: Ald. Kilgas, Ald. Schell, Mayor Penterman, Attorney Greenwood, DPW/Eng. Neumeier, Com. Enrich. and Rec. Director Vosters, Mark. and Com. Manager Fencl, Fire Chief Carrel, HR Director Hodge, Police Chief Graff, Street Superintendent Van Gompel, Fin. Dir. Van Rossum, Lib. Dir. Thiem-Menning, and interested citizens. 1. Correspondence. None. 2. Discussion Topics. a. Presentation of the preliminary 2026 Budget - Personnel details. Finance Director Van Rossum presented the preliminary 2026 budget- personnel details. Personnel expenses account for 76% of the City of Kaukauna budget. Some examples of personnel expenses include group health insurance, retirement plan, social security, regular payroll, and holiday pay. Personnel expenses are increasing by 5.3% for 2026, with one of the reasons being 4 new/ reclassified positions. Those positions include a Human Resource Coordinator, Account Specialist AR moving to full-time, an Assistant Library Director, and a Parks Foreman. Discussion held and questions answered. b. 2026 People Operation Plan Job Descriptions and Request Material. During the presentation of the 2026 People and Operational Plan on September 2, 2025, the Committee requested that staff provide the job descriptions and supporting materials for all position requests included in the 2026 Plan. This follow-up is provided for reference and transparency to ensure the Committee has complete documentation of the staffing requests that were evaluated as part of the 2026 budget process. c. Discussion on relocation of Mission and Goal Sections from Budget Book to Strategic Plan Material. During the implementation of the new budget module within the City’s accounting system, staff began reviewing the current budget book format to identify opportunities to streamline content and improve efficiency in its annual preparation. One area identified for improvement is the inclusion of the departmental Mission and Goals pages. Removing the Mission and Goals pages from each departmental in section 7 section of the budget book will help streamline the document and keep its focus on financial and operational priorities. By shifting these pages out of the budget and into the Strategic Plan or People & Operations Plan, the city can ensure that departmental objectives are updated, consistent, and measured in relation to organizational outcomes. d. Discussion on Budget Book Reformatting and Content Adjustments. As part of the implementation of the new budget module within the City’s accounting system, staff are recommending modifications to the format of the annual budget book. Several of these adjustments have been discussed in prior years. Under the new system, certain sections will require manual formatting, which adds unnecessary workload and complexity. To improve efficiency and focus, staff propose relocating or removing sections that are better suited to other city platforms. Proposed section removals include the following: organizational chart, departmental position summary, department mission and goals pages, full-time equivalent (FTE) pages, and appendix B- demographic profile. Motion by Moore, seconded by Schumacher to remove the above sections from the budget book and integrate their content into more appropriate venues as outlined. All members voted aye. Motion carried. e. Alderperson Travel Reimbursement Restructure and Policy Update. Currently, Alders receive a fixed per diem for attending qualifying events, in addition to reimbursement for mileage, parking, and other approved expenses. While well-intentioned, this structure can create confusion and inconsistencies—particularly when both per diem and reimbursement are used for the same event. In light of these concerns and in the spirit of improving fairness and administrative efficiency, staff is proposing a revised model that eliminates the per diem and replaces it with a combination of actual expense reimbursement and a flat-rate stipend for eligible events. Under this proposed structure, Alders would submit actual expenses, such as mileage, parking, and meals, for reimbursement using the same process currently applied to employees. In addition, for each eligible conference or training event attended, Alders would receive a flat-rate stipend of $150 per day, issued through payroll on their next paycheck. The stipend may be labeled as a Travel Stipend, Conference Allowance, or Training Incentive, depending on Council preference. This approach ensures that Alders are fairly compensated for their time and participation while avoiding overlapping or duplication with the reimbursement process. f. Performance Management and Compensation Processes. Under previous leadership in Human Resources, performance management and compensation processes were implemented between 2022 – 2024 in various stages and with various components. Due to the timing of the pieces of each program and the departure of the previous HR Director, the overall cohesiveness of the program pieces and the components was unknown once they were all put into practice. The compensation and performance management programs are comprised of the following components: annual performance review, step check-ins, step pay increases, pay schedule adjustment, and merit incentive program. The processes for the above components are heavily manual to initiate, track, and manage. The Strategic Plan calls for developing a standardized staffing assessment to better equip leaders and Human Resources to plan for vacancies, future needs, job analysis, and risk assessment. Aligning the program pieces to streamlined dates, developing leaders to be more skilled at performance management dialogue, and automating processes through this proposal brings harmony to blending the program components so that we can continue enhancing the programs over future years to become more robust. Motion by Moore, seconded by Antoine to approve restructuring of compensation and performance processes as outlined in the Performance Management 2026 Proposal and Compensation Program Administration Guide 2026 and use the 2025 funds budgeted for Merit Incentive towards the one-time payment adjustment for the step-date consolidation in 2026 with the exception that longevity be brought back for further discussion All members voted aye. Motion carried. g. Full-time backfill for retirement- Kaukauna Police Department. Sgt. R. Momberg has submitted official notice for retirement, effective 2/9/2026. With the 2025 Staffing Plan, it was approved to utilize a +1 method to stay ahead of the upcoming retirements that were already anticipated to occur beginning in 2026 – 2030. Motion by Moore, seconded by Eggleston, to seek authorization from the Finance and Personnel Committee to recruit and hire to fill the vacancy. All members voted aye. Motion carried. h. MSB and SPAR Building Operations Survey Results. During the Legislative Committee meeting on August 18, 2025, Mayor presented a proposed change in structuring the operation hours for the Municipal Services Building (MSB) and the Street, Parks and Recreation (SPAR) Building. From that discussion, staff were asked to survey the public. The Marketing and Communications Manager put together a survey to better understand how people are accessing city services at MSB and SPAR so the city can better service their needs. The goal was to not only inform building operation hours, but to also understand how people are accessing city services (online, in person, over the phone) and for what reasons (taxes, elections, etc.). The survey ran from September 10, 2025 – October 10, 2025. Concerns were brought forth about how residents would access services if hours were shortened on Fridays. 3. Adjourn. Motion by Antoine, seconded Moore to adjourn. All members voted aye. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:14 pm. Kayla Nessmann, Clerk