First HR director, merged departments highlight restructuring at Glencoe Village Hall

Changes are coming to Glencoe Village Hall, including new positions, staff transitions and new faces as part of a reorganization in the new year.

Village Manager Phil Kiraly highlighted the changes just prior to the Glencoe Village Board’s unanimous approval of the 2024 budget at its final meeting of the year Thursday, Dec. 21.

The total operating fund budget approved by trustees includes $43.5 million in revenue and $53.6 million in expenditures. Village finance director Nikki Larson explained that the budget includes “a significant use of reserves in bond proceeds proposed to this budget.”

“It is important to note that, even though you have a significant difference between revenue and expenditures, the Village’s budget is balanced in accordance with our policy,” she said, “which requires operating revenues to be equal to or more than our operating expenditures, which is true across all funds.”

Larson added that there are one-time drawdowns that can be used in accordance with Village policy “for one-time capital expenditures.”

Included in the approved budget is money allocated for a reorganization of Village staff, Kiraly said.

The “most significant change” is the merging of the village manager’s office with the finance department. Currently, the two departments are separated, but as of Jan. 1, they will be combined into the administration and finance department.

“That will be led by our current finance director Nikki Larson, who will be promoted to deputy village manager/chief financial officer,” Kiraly said.

The Village will also have its first human resources director, he said, with that position being filled by current assistant village manager Sharon Tanner.

He said the human resources director is “a position that we have long wanted to see in this organization, and I think will be a significant benefit to us as we continue to seek to be an employer of choice and to retain a really high-performing workforce. I think anybody who has worked with the Village team has been impressed by them and it is our goal to keep that functional and operational.”

Glencoe is also in the process of hiring someone for a newly reimagined assistant village manager position.

While two current departments are being merged, Kiraly said another change will be the separation of two departments.

Development services — which includes building, zoning and planning — has been a division within the public works department, but the village manager said staff have discussed whether that was the most appropriate structure.

With the retirement of longtime public works director Dave Mau earlier this year, Kiraly said “the timing was right to separate development services from public works into its own standalone department.”

The new department will be led by development services manager Taylor Baxter, who will be promoted to director.

Other hires include a human resources generalist and a new full-time position in the information technology department, which will replace a part-time contractual role.

Kiraly said a lot will be changing, but he’s looking forward to seeing the restructuring take place.

“We’re moving some things around. A lot of the same faces, some new names will be added into the mix,” he said. “We are likewise going to be moving some furniture around the building on the first floor over the first two months of 2024, but a lot to be excited about, and I’m very much looking forward to this new organizational structure that I think is going to serve our community exceptionally well.”

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