La Grange Park is redefining a full-time position and adding a part-time position.
The Board of Trustees unanimously approved posting a position recruitment announcement for a Building Services Coordinator in the Building Department and created a new part-time position of Administrative Assistant in the Fire Department.
Trustee Karen Koncel noted the competence of the current Building and Fire Specialist, Allison Chorley, who is retiring in June, and whose position is being eliminated in the move.
“In light of the experience and the well-rounded knowledge that the current employee has, and obviously she’s been very astute and done a terrific job for us, I can definitely see the need to hire somebody on par with that as well as have another position,” she said in introducing the measure.
Previously, both duties were the responsibility of Chorley.
The new Building Services Coordinator will have a salary range between $52,173 and $75,120, and be covered entirely by the Building Department budget. The position it is replacing is covered 70 % by the Building Department and 30 % by the Fire Department.
The new employee will also have a benefit package that includes medical, dental, and life insurance, participation in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, vacation and sick days, and a 457(b) retirement savings plan.
Interviews for the position begin on April 19 and further information on how to apply for the position can be found at the Village website lagrangepark.org
The new position will have normal weekday work hours and have a variety of different duties, including but not limited to accepting and reviewing permit applications, scheduling inspections maintaining various databases, and preparing documents from Freedom of Information Act requests.
The requirements for the position, which can also be found on the website, include a high school diploma or its equivalent, and a minimum of two years experience in general office work — with prior experience in local government preferred, including familiarity with building permits and codes.
Koncel pressed staff on whether or not the requirements or the pay range were sufficient, asking “Is that enough?”
Assistant Village Manager Maggie Jarr noted that staff had gathered data on pay ranges for similar positions from numerous neighboring municipalities.
“This pay range we thought was really competitive, as it is now,” she told the Board. “And we also looked at a number of job postings the last several months for similar positions, and we do think the minimum qualifications very closely match what we’ve seen in other communities.”
There is as yet no information available on the specifics of the part-time Administrative Assistant to the Fire Department.
The next La Grange Park Village Board meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., April 9, in the Village Hall Board Room, 447 N. Catherine Avenue.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
