It still will be some time before Waukesha has a new city administrator.
But the city is now beginning to take steps to hire one.
It begins today when the Human Resources Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the City Hall Council Chambers to discuss the hiring of a new city administrator.
Community Development Director Steve Crandell has been serving as the interim city administrator since Lori Luther left to become Peoria County’s (Ill.) administrator during the summer.
With the 2012 budget finally finished, discussion and an adoption process for evaluation of an executive search firm will take place at tonight’s meeting.
During the budget process, some aldermen questioned whether a city administrator was needed and if the city could afford to fund the position. Others, including Crandell, were strong advocates in funding for an administrator.
Ultimately, the Council voted 8-5 to fund the position for 2012.
Also at the Human Resource committee meeting, there will be discussion and recommendation to review the employee hiring and termination processes primarily as those processes relate to e-mail access, data retention, computer, mobile access, badges and keys.
Thursday’s meetings: The Transit Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in City Hall’s Randall Room 207.
On the agenda is to review the bus stops at mid-block in the 2100 block of Sunkist Ave. for possible removal. This was a referral from the Common Council. There will also be discussion and recommendation on the Waukesha County Transit Business on the purchase of a service agreement between Milwaukee Transport Services, Inc. and the City of Waukesha for service on MCTS Route 10 (Bluemound Road) at a cost of $132.20 per revenue bus hour in 2012 and a fare credit of $1.14 per passenger.
This is an annual contract and extends Milwaukee County Transit Route 10 from 124th Street to Brookfield Square via Bluemound Road. All costs are paid by Waukesha County.
The Library Board (4:45 p.m. 2nd Floor Library Board Room), the Water Utility Commission (6 p.m. in the Water Utility Conference Room at City Hall) and the Public Works Board (6:45 p.m. in Room 207 at City Hall) also all meet on Thursday.
At the Water Utility Commission meeting, there will be an update and a discussion on the Great Lakes Application.
The City of Waukesha met with officials in Racine and Oak Creek a couple months ago to negotiate the purchase of Lake Michigan water. Waukesha officials are also interested in connecting through the City of Milwaukee – a move that would be cheaper for the city.
Waukesha officials estimate it would cost $164 million to build the pipelines and other facilities under the Milwaukee plan, while it would cost more to build pipelines and pumping stations with Oak Creek and Racine since they are farther away from Waukesha.
The annual cost of operating this supply is estimated at $6.2 million.
Waukesha has a 2018 deadline to fully comply with federal radium-safe drinking water standards and abandon deep wells which have drawn radium-contaminated water from saturated sandstone.
The DNR is currently reviewing the city’s Lake Michigan application.
There will also be a Water Conservation Plan update and a financial report on the Utility Performance as well as a Capital Improvement Projects update at the meeting.