Greenfield Has New Chiefs: Now What?

Newly appointed Fire Chief Jon Cohn and Police Chief Brad Wentlandt talk about the last six months and the future of the departments in a Greenfield Patch Q & A.

They were named interim chiefs on the same day, assumed their interim status together back in June and were appointed chiefs of their respective departments by the Greenfield Police and Fire Commission together Oct. 20. And Fire Chief Jon Cohn and Police Chief Brad Wentlandt plan on working together, and keeping the city safe, for years to come. "Police Chief Wentlandt and I have recognized that we have an opportunity to create synergistic improvements through cooperative opportunities," Cohn said. "Police and fire departments can make single-department service improvements but officer safety, firefighter safety, and community safety significantly improves when emergency services work together." So it was only fitting that Greenfield Patch…

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Greenfield Fire Union, City Reach Contract Agreement

Just weeks after a judge issued a temporary restraining order against the city, the two sides work out a deal.

Earlier this month, the City of Greenfield and its firefighters union, Local 1963, were facing each other in court. This week, the two sides worked out a two-year contract effective Jan. 1. On Tuesday, the Common Council ratified the union’s contract, a move that prevented Mayor Michael Neitzke from having to lay off any city employees and eliminated the need for furlough days for all city workers. Ultimately, the city got its wish, which was for all city employees to contribute the same amount toward their pension and their health insurance. Weeks after the city’s police union voluntarily agreed to contribute 12.6 percent toward their insurance plans and 5.9 percent, the fire union agreed to do the same. Those percentages were sticking …

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The Latest on Greenfield Fire Union Lawsuit

All of Greenfield Patch's coverage in one place.

Greenfield Mayor Reacts to Fire Union's Temporary Restraining Order

He warns of layoffs and other cuts in the 2012 budget.

Hours after a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge issued a temporary restraining order that prevented the City of Greenfield from approving medical insurance plans for the city’s firefighters, Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke warned of city-wide layoffs and benefit reductions if the fire union does not make similar concessions the city’s other employees are making. In a statement read at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting at City Hall, where a handful of fire personnel were in attendance, Neitzke said cuts will have to come from somewhere to make up a the 2012 budget shortfall, a figure projected to be around $500,000. The Common Council was prepared to discuss and possible approve a medical plan recommended by the Finance and Human …

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Judge Grants Greenfield Firefighters' Union Temporary Restraining Order Against City

The restraining order is in affect through Oct. 20.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Maxine White has issued a temporary restraining order against the City of Greenfield, preventing the Common Council from voting on a health insurance plan for the city’s firefighters at tonight’s meeting. The restraining order is in affect through Oct. 20, 2011. Local 1963, the Greenfield firefighter union, filed a lawsuit against the city Monday when it became clear the city would move forward with a plan that called for much higher deductibles, higher coinsurance costs and out-of-pocket maximums of $20,000 per individual and $40,000 per family. Mayor Michael Neitzke had asked both the police and fire unions to voluntarily pay 12.6 percent toward the city’s group health insurance plan, up from the …

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Greenfield Police Union Reportedly Agrees to Voluntary Pension, Health Care Contributions

The local fire union, however, voted against doing so.

Greenfield police officers will pay more into their pensions and health care plans under a new agreement spurred by changes Gov. Scott Walker and state Republicans made to collective-bargaining rights in the state.  Under the agreement, the Greenfield Police Association union reportedly voted to have its members voluntarily contribute the same amounts toward their pensions and health care plans as other Greenfield public employees. The agreement would make the union one of the first police unions in the state to do so, according to Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke. Neitzke told Greenfield Patch that the police union had agreed to the voluntary contributions of 12.6 percent toward health care and 5.9 percent toward pensions, the same rates …

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