Longtime Mount Prospect building department head moving on

Bill Schroeder may not have been a household name in Mount Prospect.

But the town’s longtime director of building and inspection services had an impact in one way or another on all village residents.

After more than 20 years serving Mount Prospect, the St. Charles resident is moving on to pursue another career opportunity in the public sector.

By Schroeder’s estimation, he has been involved with close to 60,000 permits and hundreds of thousands of inspections in Mount Prospect. He has also been on the front lines of life-changing events, such as apartment complex fires and damaging storms, like the 2025 microburst that tore the roof off the Huntington Commons condominiums.

Schroeder has worked with residents, solving their concerns during the toughest times of their lives, as well as businesses moving into the community or looking to expand.

He said he would remind his staff, “You have two ears. Try to listen with both of them. Try to listen before you judge and try to figure out how we can help.”

After a disaster, Schroeder determined the safety of structures and helped figure out what assistance residents needed, said Human Services Director Julie Kane.

Schroeder also $4,000 for Mount Prospect’s Human Services food pantry through one of his passions — running marathons.

“That was really special to me, because it helps impact the residents every day,” said Schroeder, who also volunteers at endurance events and is a certified wilderness first responder.

“That is just one example of just who Bill is,” Kane said. “He really has a huge heart and always has the residents and the community in mind.”