Buffalo Grove village manager named tops in his field

Buffalo Grove Village Manager Dane Bragg has been named the Outstanding Manager of the Year by the Illinois Association of Municipal Management Assistants.

"I am humbled and honored to receive this award," Bragg said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to work with the village's staff and elected officials to maintain Buffalo Grove's reputation as a leader and innovator in providing municipal services."

Bragg was honored partly for working closely with elected officials and staff to lead the organization through difficult economic times, eliminating structural budget issues while increasing general fund, capital and equipment reserves.

According to his nomination, Bragg has been creative - merging the building and zoning and finance customer service counters - and under his leadership Buffalo Grove has joined a new IT Consortium which in 2015 will save the village more than $260,000 in personnel costs. Additionally, he launched a centralized purchasing program where the village compares whether bidding out services can yield fewer costs but a similar level of service. This program recently resulted in the outsourcing of golf course maintenance; expected to save the village just short of $1 million over five years.

IAMMA is a state organization whose members are made up of municipal staff from interns to assistant managers, who support professional municipal governments. IAMMA provides professional development and networking opportunities for its members.