By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
The City of Burlington will hire a familiar consultant to conduct the search for its next director of public works.
The Common Council on Tuesday approved the hiring of the firm Gov HR.
The vote was 6-1, with Alderman Jon Schultz the lone “nay” vote.
While there was little discussion in the Committee of the Whole about the matter, the actual vote spawned some debate.
Alderman Tom Preusker said the resolution was incorrectly worded, since the “not to exceed” amount of $20,000 included the option of using Gov HR to conduct its assessment center – a way of testing potential employees on essentials of the job.
While that was relatively easy to change, Schultz wanted to know why the city couldn’t conduct the assessment center on its own.
Mayor Bob Miller explained that, in essence, city staff needed to conduct that assessment is City Administrator Carina Walters – who is already knee-deep in numerous critical projects, he said.
Miller also added that Walters would be filling in for the director of public works until the new hire was made.
When asked, Walters said she could put in the extra hours to do the assessment if needed, though Miller and some members of the council were quick to defend she should have to.
The “not to exceed” amount was amended to $22,000 to account for travel expenses and lodging for the assessment center conductor.
Other business
Also discussed at the Committee of the Whole Tuesday night:
- The acquisition of the property at 256 West State Street – a former gas station behind B.J. Wentkers that has fallen into what Miller called “disrepair.”
Racine County would acquire the land through the delinquent tax process, and the city would reimburse the count about $2,100 in special assessments for snow removal and weed destruction that the county had already paid.
The land would then go to the city in hopes of being sold to a developer. Because of its history as a gas station, the site does contain some possible environmental contamination.
- The hiring of Northern Illinois University Center to conduct the 2015 Strategic Planning session. Walters said she received bids from both NIUC and Gov HR to conduct the planning session, and both groups come highly recommended.
She suggested going with NIUC to give the city a fresh facilitator.
- The possible agreement between Labadie Investments LLC and the city to use a portion of land on West State Street between Mormon Road and Spring Valley Road for a sanitary sewer lift station.
The DOT won’t allow the land – which is along a section of roadway it has jurisdiction over – to be a dedicated utility site. The Labadie group will be placing a dental office there, according to Miller.
The access is in exchange for providing municipal water and sewer to the parcel of land.
All three items will be voted on at the July 21 meeting.
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