Before we go to referendum ...

The following post is a copy of a communication that is being distributed to town board members, Chief Jim Lewis, and the Police and Fire Commission.

TO: Town Board of Supervisors, Chief Jim Lewis, Police & Fire Commission

FROM: Travis Thyssen, Town Supervisor

DATE: October 25, 2007

RE: Police Department Issues

The retirement of Chief Ed Kopp, and Interim Chief Jim Lewis’ comments in the Post-Crescent article have brought the Grand Chute police department to the news forefront.

The ultimate outcome may be a referendum for additional staffing, however, it is critical the town board and administration look at ways to remedy problems within the department before we rely largely on the largesse of Grand Chute taxpayers.

Following are issues I have identified and respectfully suggest discussing with the interim and future chiefs:

Bring staffing levels up to the maximum police force allowed.
The police department is losing officers to other departments and replacements are not being hired quickly enough. The department has yet to run at full strength and officers are being forced to work excessive overtime. The department can have a more proactive approach in the hiring process, keeping a current pool of applicants available in case of personnel departures and retirements. Filling open positions needs to be expedited and should be the department's number one priority.

Utilize the experience of interim police chief, Jim Lewis.
Chief Lewis experience as a chief to departments much bigger than Grand Chute is invaluable. His insight to growing pain issues can be instrumental in selecting a future chief whose goals and personality will fit in well with the Grand Chute Police Department.

Make smarter hiring decisions.
Two months ago, I spoke with Administrator Rohloff regarding the department union's concerns about a new hire. As a 14-year law enforcement veteran, I felt the union's concerns were valid issues but was told I was getting too close to the situation. That officer has since failed to pass the probationary period and no longer works for the department resulting in loss of money through training and leaves an open shift, adding to overtime costs. The town should be more receptive when the union raises legitimate concerns.

Hire part time officers who have an understanding they will be next in line when a full time position becomes available.
There is a need to prevent part-time officers from seeking full time employment at other departments while working for Grand Chute. This may begin with a cooperative effort between new management and officers to view part-time positions with a career approach in mind. The department may wish to examine hiring applicants that work full-time for other departments and are seeking minimal additional hours. Such officers could fill overtime/sick shifts without calling in full-time officers.

Consider new shift rotations of a four on/four off schedule with a twelve hour shift.
This rotation will allow six patrol officers per shift instead of the current two or three. The current rotation of six on three off, leaves coverage weak if an officer calls in sick, forcing another officer to cover the vacancy, and is not conducive to an officer's mental well-being with the current staffing issues. Other shift scenarios can be examined as well, but the overall goal is to allow officers more time away from work and utilize the existing department force in a more efficient way.

Do not approve the full time deputy clerk and building inspector positions in this year's budget proposal.
Utilize budgeted money for a police officer hire instead. The workload of town clerk can be alleviated during election periods by hiring seasonal help. The building inspector can be kept at current part-time status. We cannot rely on taxpayers to fund our emergency services personnel without prioritizing new hires and making every effort to fill these positions ourselves.

Develop long range plan to add officers into each year's budget.
The town should recognize the town’s overall growth projections and the needs of increased service areas and start allocating positions into future budgets.

I conclusion, I believe it is possible to achieve a balance that supports the men and women serving on the Grand Chute Police Department and is fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of Grand Chute. However, it will require commitment and team effort by the board, administration, and new chief. If we do not collectively make an effort to improve the current situation, we continue to fail the department and Grand Chute residents.

Communication Committee finalizes reommendations

This morning was the last meeting of the Grand Chute communication committee. The committee was formed after elections in order to examine how the town board could better interact with residents of our community. I was appointed a member of this committee by Chairman Marsden. The chair, Sup. Jeff Nooyan, will be reporting to the board the committee's findings. The board will decide which recommendations to follow.

Some recommendations are already being implemented. For instance, the town newsletter has been expanded, and the upcoming issue includes more indepth articles that explain how decisions are made that affect the entire town. It will include more photos, and feature articles.

The committee is also recommending minutes for meetings be posted soon after the meeting, with a disclaimer announcing they have not yet been approved. Currently, minutes are posted on the town's Web site after approval at the following meeting. This means sometimes minutes are not available on the Web site at least two, and sometimes three weeks after meetings take place.

Other suggestions are for board members to hold workshop strategy sessions to identify goals for the upcoming year, and for department heads to give more detailed reports at board meetings so people attending board meetings have some background information of what is being voted on.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the committee was identifying ways that board meetings can be broadcast and made accessable to the public. This included analyzing webcasts, podcasts, televised multi-camera broadcasts. Each avenue was investigated for cost issues, and ease of use. These findings will be brought before the Town Board members for them to decide. The committee's goal in this instance was to gather information only. We feel it is up to the Town Board, not the committee, to determine how to spend taxpayers money. Costs range from $500-$30,000 depending on type of broadcast.

The finalized report will be presented to the Town Board at a November meeting. It will also be posted on this site.

Parks Day

Last Saturday was Grand Chute Parks Day. This event is held to raise funds for our parks systems. Highlights of the day are a large car show, and craft sale. And, as my sister Arielle said, "there were a heck of a lot of cars!" And you can tell you're getting old when you start recongizing cars you grew up with are now collectors.

The Grand Chute Citizenn's Police Academy, Grand Chute Kiwanis, Fire and Police Department and Shriners all pull together to put this day on for our community. This year's Parks Day was well attended, and there were 113 raffle prizes that were given away. Thank you to all the businesses who donated raffle prizes. Plans for next year are already in the works. The Grand Chute Kiwanis are going to be taking over the overall coordination of the event, and next years Parks Day will be September 13th.

Meeting minutes available

Minutes from the September 18th Town Board meeting and the October 2nd Town Board meeting are available for download. I will have an update on the solar/wind ordinance outcome from last night's meeting soon.

Grand Chute Parks Day

The Grand Chute Parks Day event is tomorrow all day at the Grand Chute Town Hall. This annuual event includes raffles, food, car show, craft fair and children's games. Funds raised are donated to the Grand Chute Parks system. The weather looks like it will hold out, so the turnout should be good for this event. Stop down and support our parks, while having fun for the entire family.

Babies-R-Us ribbon cutting

I attended the Grand Opening ceremonies for Babies-R-Us this morning. The store is connected to the Toys-R-Us near the Fox River Mall. Troy and Amy, from the store, had invited town leaders to the ribbon cutting ceremony. As a new supervisor, this was my first such event, and it was a lot of fun. I joined Chairman Marsen and Assistant Fire Chief Michael DeBruler at the dedication.

The Babies-R-Us location is the first of it's kind in the area. It's following a new trend by the parent company in connecting the two stores, instead of having them stand alone. Customers are able to shop unilateraly, between the stores. The Grand Chute store will be closely monitored. If the concept is successful, other stores in the area will follow this thumbprint.

Fire Station bids continue

I sat in on the opening of bids for the fire station station this afternoon. Today's bids were for the

1. All concrete foundations and interior concrete slab-on-grade
2. Pre-engineered metal building (structural steel, roof, fascia, soffit, etc.)
3. Site fencing

The bids came in very good, and we are on track to meeting the fire station budget. The next bids will be for the electrical, plumbing and HVAC. I will post when the bid packages are ready for pickup, along with detailed instructions on how to bid. Please encourage any subcontractors you know in these fields to submit bids.

Interim police chief selected

The Police and Fire commission are recommending the Town Board approve Jim Lewis as the interim police chief. Mr. Lewis recently acted as the interim chief for the Appleton Police Department. He was previously Green Bay's police chief for seven years. Mr. Lewis has a bachelor's degree in business administration, and a master's degree in public administration.

Administrator Rohloff is forwarding the recommedation to the Board for compensation package approval at the next Board meeting. The projected timetable for hiring a new chief is by the beginning of 2008.

Construction begins on new fire station

The rain held off for the Grand Chute Fire Station groundbreaking ceremony this past Tuesday. Instead of the usual construction hard hats, town officials were presented with firefighter helmuts. A nice touch! Posted are some photos from the groundbreak. The fire station is slated for completion in Fall of 2008.

Grand Chute police chief Ed Kopp retires

Police Chief Ed Kopp informed the Town Board Tuesday he is retiring. Chief Kopp's retirement date is effective November 16th. Chief Kopp has been with the Grand Chute police department since 1983 and was the second police chief when he took the position in 1998. Administrator Mark Rohloff will be recommending an interim chief until a replacement can be recruited and hired. Chief Kopp will assist in the transition.

Blood Mobile October 10th

The Blood Mobile will be at the Fire Station on Highview Drive on Wednesday, October 10th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.Contact Lisa Gabriel at 832-6050 for details and to sign up!