October 22, 2025 · 4:00 PM

Police and Fire Commission

The Police and Fire Commission met briefly and approved promotional lists for Fire Captain and Fire Acting Captain after a closed-session discussion. The votes were unanimous, but the public record doesn’t explain how many candidates were considered or what criteria separated them.

Key Decisions

Commissioners went into closed session to discuss the promotional process for Captain and Acting Captain, then came back and approved both promotional lists. This is a key gatekeeping step for who can move up in the Fire Department, but the details were handled out of public view under the personnel exception.

Fire Chief Murack reported the department ran an assessment center on Sept. 19 with panel representatives from other municipalities—an attempt at a more structured, outside-involved process before promotions move forward.

Public Input

No public comments or communications recorded for this meeting.

Agenda Items

STAFFING UPDATE

Fire Chief Murack said the department held an assessment center on Sept. 19 and included panel representatives from other municipalities. That suggests the department is leaning on a more formal evaluation process, but the minutes don’t say how many candidates participated or what the assessment measured—details residents would need to judge fairness and readiness.

📄 See in official document: Page 1

fire department staffing Full history →

CLOSED SESSION

Passed 5-0

The commission voted to go into closed session under Wisconsin’s personnel exception to discuss the promotional process for Captain and Acting Captain. Closed session can be legal here, but it also means the public can’t see what standards were applied or what concerns (if any) were raised before the commission took action.

📄 See in official document: Page 1

ANY ACTION AS A RESULT OF CLOSED SESSION

Passed 5-0

After returning to open session, the commission unanimously approved the promotional list for Fire Captain and separately approved the promotional list for Fire Acting Captain. The approvals are clear, but the minutes don’t document the size of each list or how the rankings were determined, which limits transparency on a major career decision inside the department.

📄 See in official document: Page 1

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