Wheeling village manager gets 7% pay boost
Wheeling’s veteran village manager will start 2025 with a pay raise.
The village board on Monday night approved a 7% salary bump for Jon Sfondilis. His annual base salary will increase to $264,080, from $246,804.
The new salary is effective Jan. 1, the first day of Wheeling’s 2025 fiscal year.
Sfondilis has worked for the village since 1993; he has been village manager since 2010. His employment contract is reviewed annually.
Wheeling has seen significant changes during Sfondilis’ tenure, perhaps most significantly on Dundee Road at and around the Wheeling Town Center apartment and retail complex. In addition to that sprawling development, the Uptown 500 mixed-use property across the street is filling up, with a long-vacant ground-floor retail space finally being filled in October by Rosebud Steakhouse.
Wheeling’s famed Restaurant Row along Milwaukee Avenue is experience a bit of a resurgence now, too, with eateries including Cilantro Taco Grill, Armo Grill and Kazan Restaurant all opening in 2024.
They joined crowd-pleasers such as Chicago Ramen, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Superdawg, Yu’s Mandarin and Rise n Dine on the Row.
Sfondilis and Wheeling’s elected officials have worked to lure those businesses to town with financial incentives including county property tax breaks and municipal grants that help pay for building renovations, equipment upgrades and other improvements.
“The village has made significant progress over the last few years in the major categories of economic growth, infrastructure investment, and overall financial strength,” Sfondilis said in an email. “I am grateful to be a part of this progressive team and appreciate the board’s continued support.”
Sfondilis’ raise was approved without discussion as part of the board’s consent agenda, which is reserved for routine items.