By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review

An Everest Metro Police Department employee who filed a formal complaint against the chief will keep her job, but additional legal action could be on the horizon.

After an hour-long closed session meeting Tuesday, a joint committee of the Everest Metropolitan Police Finance and Municipal Court Finance Committee voted to retain the employee, who has been on paid administrative leave. The committee voted to allow the complainant to retain her position but move her office to a vacant room in Weston’s municipal center. She will also have a letter of reprimand placed in her file.

The complaint filed against Schulz ended with no formal action, after an independent law firm’s investigation determined that his actions did not rise to the level of harassment under department policy. But the investigation did reveal red flags about Schulz’s conduct, which the attorneys deemed unprofessional, and recommended additional training and monitoring moving forward. Officials have not responded to questions about how Schulz’s progress will be monitored or addressed.

According to WSAU, the woman’s attorney on Tuesday criticized the Police Commission for its response to his client’s allegations and said the group has done nothing to resolve or address the issue.

Documents obtained by Wausau Pilot & Review show the Joint Commission considered her termination on the grounds she violated department policy in multiple ways including sharing her grievances at a Sept. 14 union meeting and by secretly recording conversations she had with Schulz and captains at the EMPD. That, officials allege, violated Schulz’s privacy rights and undermined the effectiveness of the department.

But Ben Hitchcock Cross, a Milwaukee attorney representing the woman, said there are no such rules that his client allegedly violated, according to the WSAU report. Hitchcock went on to tell WSAU that he will explore further legal options.

The woman requested that evidence in the case be presented in open session, which state law allows. But that request was denied, a decision Hitchcock Cross called an open meetings law violation, WSAU reported.

Schulz has not commented publicly on the allegations against him, and emails to Joint Commission President David Eisenreich and an attorney representing Weston’s interests were not returned on Tuesday.