Business climate warms in Hawthorn Woods

Unlike some communities that continue to face tough decisions because of the economy, Hawthorn Woods officials are welcoming the new year with excitement, not dread.

With the economic ship slowly righted over the past several months, the village is adding staff and rebuilding on several fronts.

Staffers and elected officials contend there is palpable difference at village hall, where the stress of working with a skeleton staff is being replaced with confidence and a shared sense of purpose.

"The reason is because we have already gone through the pain - we've been at bare bones," explained Pam Newton, chief operating officer. "Our recovery is starting."

The situation went from bad to worse more than a year ago when about 14 employees, or nearly half the village work force, was laid off.

The transition began when former mayor Keith Hunt chose not to run for a third term and a new administration emerged with the April election.

"The budgeting process this year was very different than what was done in the past," Mayor Joe Mancino said. "We took everything down to zero." After five months of line-by-line examination and input from employees and committees comprised of residents, the village forged a new budget that painstakingly matches expenses with revenues.

"Just like a small business does, just like a family does in their home," Mancino said.

Department heads had to explain in writing their spending plans, and checks and balances on requests were imposed.

"One of our problems has been the exorbitant use of consultants - attorneys, engineers. Not that we didn't need them but they were being used for mundane tasks," Mancino said.

Those moves will save hundreds of thousands of dollars, Mancino said, and has allowed the village to begin rebuilding depleted reserves and assembling a management team.

Newton, a former Lake County Board member, started in mid-June. On Monday, Kristen Kazenas settled in as the village's finance/human resources director.

Two part-time police officers have been hired and full-timers in buildings, parks and public works are expected to be brought on this year.

"We're cutting membership, we're cutting travel, were cutting everything in order to bring in the right people," Newton said.

Many communities count heavily on sales tax to operate but that has not been the case in Hawthorn Woods, which has no commercial base.

However, the opening of land for potential development also has Mancino and others excited.

After a long delay, permits have been secured to install sewers along Midlothian Road from Gilmer Road to Old McHenry Road. Property owners over the past three years have paid about $3.5 million into a special fund for that purpose. Installation will begin in spring.

Several very viable, interested retail developers have met with village officials, Mancino said.

"It's been nothing but bad news here for several years," he added. "There's a new attitude."