Edgar officials discuss interim plans for police department
Geske’s last day is June 9
During a brief special board meeting on Friday, Edgar officials discussed what’s next for the village as current police chief Tyler Geske gets ready to leave his post soon.
Geske, who has served in the role since 2020, turned in his formal resignation letter on May 19. After thanking the village for the career opportunity in the letter, Geske wrote that he would be willing to assist with patrol duties during the fireman’s carnival as well as complete administrative tasks if needed during the transition phase. Geske’s last day of employment will be June 9, with the festival scheduled for June 16-18.
At the beginning of May, Marathon officials introduced Geske as the replacement for their police chief, Kory Gertschen, who will be leaving the village on June 16. According to the job offer made by Marathon, Geske’s starting annual salary will be $67,500. He had been earning $62,004 in Edgar. According to minutes from the closed session during the May 8 Edgar Village Board meeting, officials approved offering Geske the same salary as Marathon’s offer to continue his employment in Edgar. Additionally, Edgar’s offer at that time in- cluded guaranteed pay increases of not less than $70,200 at the beginning of 2024, another increase of no less than $73,710 in 2025 and a third bump to at least $78,132 in 2026.
Geske did not accept the continued employment offer from Edgar. According to Marathon County Sheriff’s Department Captain Tim Burkholder, who was present at Friday’s meeting, the Edgar job has been posted and the county is ready to help in the interim. Burkholder, who was recently promoted to patrol captain, told Village Administrator Jennifer Lopez there would be assistance available for help with administrative duties such as reviewing citations along with the patrol support.
After closed session on Friday, the board voted not to keep Geske on for help during the transition period, instead opting to utilize the sheriff’s department for assistance.
