Streamwood eyes staffing, jobs to be done

Streamwood officials Monday completed their goal-setting for 2009 with an eye on adapting some staff levels and responsibilities and preparing for the retirement of its most experienced members.

Village Manager Gary O'Rourke suggested each department re-examine its staffing levels from a variety of different philosophies.

As former police chief of the village, O'Rourke said the police department has typically looked at its staffing levels from the perspective of its activity. But some police agencies staff themselves based on population, size or their amount of roadways.

"There's all different standards and we should come back to the board with some alternatives," O'Rourke said.

Trustee William Harper agreed, not necessarily to make changes but to avoid becoming blind to other points of view.

"I agree with what Gary's saying because in the past we've operated from 'What does it take to get the job done?'" Harper said. "How hard are we pushing people? How long can we sustain that? Believe me, I'm not advocating adding a lot of people because they're very expensive. We need an honest determination of what we need to have, not a wish list."

In preparing for the retirement and succession of senior staff members, village board members felt this also should be tied to the changing responsibilities of some departments.

Rather than basing the same amount of staffing on new construction as it once did, it was suggested that this department's future could revolve more around maintenance of existing structures.

"My thought is to re-examine at the job descriptions," O'Rourke said of how to replace retiring staff.

One continuing goal is for staff to better serve the growing diversity of the village's ethnic groups. The board plans to provide appropriate diversity and language training for staff and to continue hiring employees qualified to meet the needs of all members of the community.