City Administrator Reporting Structure up for Discussion

The City of Waukesha’s will be taking the first looks at what the next city administrator’s role should look like as the Common Council prepares to hire the next top executive.

The city administrator position has been a controversial one since Mayor Jeff Scrima took office. His clashes with then-City Administrator Lori Luther were sometimes public and ultimately lead to the Common Council removing Scrima’s supervisory role over her. The council’s decision made it clear that Luther was to report to the Common Council, which is the body that makes city decisions. Scrima is a part of the Common Council but can only vote in a tie.

Scrima’s supporters in the months that followed came to Common Council meeting, criticizing the aldermen for the contract change and making negative remarks about the city administrator. Luther has since left Waukesha to become

Upon Luther’s departure, Scrima has asked While traditionally the city administrator is tasked with the day-to-day operations of City Hall, the Common Council needs to finalize the job description and reporting structure before a search firm looks for that person.

The Human Resource Committee, which is comprised of aldermen, will take up the issue at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 201 Delafield St., to make a recommendation to the Common Council.