City police officer agrees to step down

City council approves voluntary separation with officer Rob Stieber

Medford police officer Robert Stieber will be leaving the force under terms of a voluntary separation agreement.

His official last day will be on Sunday, Sept. 19 and he will remain on paid administrative leave until that date. Members of the Medford city council on Tuesday evening met with their labor attorney Kyle Gulya of vonBriesen & Roper, S.C. briefly in closed session before coming into open session to approve the separation agreement.

The five-page agreement states: “The parties participation in this agreement is not to be consorted as an admission of any wrongdoing or liability whatsoever by or on behalf of the employee, the association, the city or the released parties, prior to the execution of this agreement.”

The agreement stipulates that the separation from employment with the city shall be classified on the Wisconsin Department of Justice Acadis Portal as “resigned prior to the completion of internal investigation.”

Under terms of the agreement after Sept. 19. Stieber will be able to use accrued leave of 7 days vacation, three days of personal leave and 30 minutes of compensatory time. Following that, he will be able to use the 22 days of leave (17 vacation days and five personal days) he would have received for calendar year 2022 under terms of the city’s contract with the City of Medford Police Association Local 456. The terms of the agreement further state that the city will continue to pay its share of Stieber’s health and dental insurance premiums until November 30.

Under the agreement, Stieber waives his ability to file suit against the city and employees for any action that occurred prior to the signing of the agreement.

Stieber joined the Medford Police Department on April 8, 2008.