Hanover Park plans to hire deputy village manager, village engineer

In a move that Village President Rod Craig says is long overdue, Hanover Park will add a pair of new positions to its staff this year.

The village board Thursday is scheduled to approve the creation of a deputy village manager/public information officer posotion and a village engineer/assistant public works director post to the town's base salary plan.

While both were included in the 2016 budget, Craig said the village held off from officially adding them to the salary plan while issues concerning how much state revenue the village would received were up in the air.

"But the state came through with the dollars, and now we're seeking approval to get the money from the budget to the working plan," Craig said.

The deputy village manager will start out with a proposed yearly salary between $106,400 and $148,959, and the village engineer will start out making between $87,789 and $122,906 a year.

Hanover Park has been contracting out engineering work, but a village engineer will be able to provide consistency in village projects, including a significant amount of expected road work, Craig said.

Village Manager Juliana Maller has been "buried in trying to do everything" her job requires, he added. A deputy village manager will allow her time to mentor and coach some of the village's new department heads. The deputy village manager also will serve as the village's spokesperson.

Once the positions are added to the salary plan, official job descriptions will be drawn up, and the village will begin seeking applicants. The village engineer opening likely will be posted first, Maller said.

"This isn't meant to be internal hiring," Craig said. "We really have a good opportunity here to hire new people."