According to NBC15, an investigation found taxpayer money was misused in Middleton by an employee who ran his personal snowplowing business out of a city garage for at least 10 years. Middleton’s former public works utility foreman, Ryan Madigan, was the subject of internal investigation by the city.
Eleven separate videos were turned over to Middleton’s Human Resources Department. Madigan has been accused of theft of fuel from the Middleton Operations Center (MOC); theft of MOC equipment; and operating a personal for-profit business out of the city MOC using city equipment and resources.
Despite the videos, the investigation found the first two claims to be unsubstantiated; the third, however, was substantiated. Records show that Madigan’s activities went unreported for at least a decade until someone in his department placed a hidden camera in the garage for surveillance outside of business hours.
Even with allegations proven, city policy lacked clear guidance for discipline as using taxpayer property for personal use was not explicitly against Middleton city rules. The city is now changing the rules to set clear, legally binding expectations regarding taxpayer property use.
Madigan was told to resign, or he would be fired and then receive $30,000 from the city for working 467 hours of overtime. A new city policy will also address how overtime hours are approved because of this payout.
