East Dundee approves 3-month deal for interim finance director

A new interim finance director has been appointed in East Dundee through an agreement with a temporary staffing agency.

Molly Talkington, who has about 15 years of municipal finance experience, was sworn in this week after the village board approved a three-month contract with GovTemps USA. The village will have the option to extend the deal another three months.

Per the agreement, the village will pay about $3,360 for a 40-hour workweek, with 60 percent of those funds going toward Talkington's salary, Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen said. The remainder will cover the agency's fees.

Talkington most recently served as finance director, and later interim city manager, in DeKalb. Her roughly 15-month employment with the city ended Jan. 7 with a settlement agreement.

Before that, she held financial roles in Naperville, Champaign and Glenview, officials said. She also has been active in the Government Finance Officers Association.

Talkington is replacing former East Dundee Finance Director Zaida Torres, who resigned last month after roughly three years.

East Dundee recently used GovTemps USA to find an interim police chief and public works director, both of whom were later hired for the permanent positions. "It's the best resource we have, and it's worked very well for us in the past," Johnsen said.

Excited by the professionalism and sense of community shown by village leaders, Talkington said she's eager to tackle a set of goals related to East Dundee's budget and long-term financial projections. She also will have a hand in preparing the village's first capital improvement plan.

"Her skill set is a perfect match for the village at this time," Johnsen said. "We're excited that we were able to recruit Molly for the position, and we hope that she'll help us continue moving forward."

Talkington was hired in September of 2017 as DeKalb's finance director, and was appointed to the interim city manager position 10 months later, according to city officials.

A settlement agreement with DeKalb allows Talkington to remain on the city's benefits plan and continue collecting her normal salary of $4,996 every two weeks until July 7. The severance package also included a roughly $7,162 payment for unused vacation.

The Daily Chronicle in DeKalb reported that Talkington had been placed on leave in November after DeKalb officials found the city was not fully covering its obligations to pay for employee and retiree health benefits.

The city completed an investigation, which determined Talkington's conduct was based on her professional judgment and information she received from an intergovernmental insurance cooperative, according to a letter of reference from now-City Manager Bill Nicklas.

The city and Talkington mutually agreed to part ways when Nicklas was hired so he could build his own management team, the letter says. DeKalb officials declined to comment further on Talkington's employment.

East Dundee officials said they are aware of DeKalb's investigation and are confident there was no misappropriation of funds, Johnsen said, noting it was a "minor issue."

"That in my opinion was more of a misunderstanding on the part of the city officials," she said. "I have absolutely no concerns with that."

The Chronicle also reported that Talkington filed a sexual harassment and gender discrimination lawsuit against the city in November. The settlement agreement indicates she agreed to withdraw those charges.

Talkington declined to comment on her previous employment. "We've settled it, and I've moved on," she said.