Richmond administrator position to be discussed in forum

By Gregory Harutunian

Correspondent

The Thursday, Oct. 6 Richmond Village Board meeting will be a forum, as the questions and options regarding its vacant village administrator position are set to be discussed.

The agenda item will open review on the recommendations made by the village’s personnel ad hoc sub-committee, although a final determination may not be made.

The post opened with the resignation of Tim Savage several months ago, and the $82,000 salary is considered to be the engine powering the discussions as a cost effective move. Savage, a resident of the Machesney Park area left the post for personal reasons including the driving distance to the municipality.

“It’s on the agenda for discussion and the options that were proffered by the sub-committee will be reviewed, although there has been no indication a final determination is to be made, at that time,” said Vanessa Everett, the Richmond Village Clerk.

“We want to differentiate the fact that this is being aired for review before the full board, which is the trustees and the village president Lauri Olson. The personnel ad hoc sub-committee is an adjunct of the full board, but only has the three trustees,” she said.

An Aug. 30 special meeting of the sub-committee convened for the purpose of outlining the proposals of whether to delete the position, hire a part-time administrator on a shared basis with another municipality, contract out the duties with a consulting firm, or expand the scope and duties of the village clerk position to incorporate the administrator functions.

“They completed their review of the options, and this is what has gone forward,” said Everett. “At this time, there is a wonderful staff in place that is managing those concerns in the administrator purview and doing very well.”

Those duties included oversight of contracts with vendors, intermediary interactions with the board and public, maintaining board initiatives, and support services for municipal business. Richmond works with neighboring community Spring Grove on capital improvement projects, which has netted savings on specific work orders, while eliminating the duplication of office protocols.

The full board investigated the possibilities of a shared village administrator by convening a special meeting July 7 at Woodstock’s City Hall. Woodstock Deputy City Manager Derik Moorefield was identified as the candidate for part-time sharing offer in a proposal submitted by Woodstock village officials

The position would involve 10 hours per week, and cost approximately $900 each week, Everett said. Woodstock has already entered into an agreement with Richmond on other matters. Ratification and endorsement of the proposal would require approval from both municipalities, and the resulting documentation would also set the effective dates for its terms of enforcement.

Another option incurring expense is the hiring of a consulting firm on a contract basis. The McHenry-sited firm of HR Green Engineering Services has made presentations before the full board and the sub-committee on the services that it could supply. The Aug. 3 board meeting sidled time for HR Green representatives to show a PowerPoint display on their company and services.

Expanding the duties of the village clerk’s job outline is also under consideration as a viable option. “That’s something we’ll have to see what transpires at that level. For now, the board wants all the options available to make an informed decision and one that will benefit Richmond in the best possible way,” Everette added.


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