The transit director told the Wausau Transit Commission on Jan. 16 that a provision allowing union members to be paid out for unused personal days was missing from the current union contract due to an oversight.

“There has been one issue,” the director said. “In the previous contract, the union was allowed to apply to get paid out for their personal personal days. Somehow that did not get in this version of the contract.” The director said the omission was not noticed by staff, the city attorneys, or union leaders until someone attempted to process a payout through payroll. Staff will work with Anne Jacobson, the city HR director, to prepare a memorandum of agreement to restore the wording for the term of the contract and then include it in the next negotiation cycle.

The director also updated commissioners on staffing. She said the deputy-director recruitment reopened after a candidate who lived out of state did not respond to follow-up; Ron Schenke, the maintenance supervisor, is serving as interim deputy director and intends to apply for the permanent position. The director said two part-time bus-driver positions remain open and that current staffing covers routes without cancellations. “We are handling all of our routes every day,” she said, noting occasional supervisor coverage when employees were out on leave.

Commissioners did not take a separate vote on the contract item; the director said the contract packet was placed on file. The director said she had circulated the union contract earlier and that city council had reviewed it.