Personnel Committee

123 Madison Street Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302 www.oak-park.us Meeting Minutes Personnel Committee Wednesday, October 20, 2021 5:30 PM Remote 1. Call To Order Village President Scaman called the meeting to order at 5:41 P.M. She authorized a statement be read providing that the meeting is being held remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines and that it is not prudent to have people present at the Village Board's regular meeting location due to public health concerns related to that pandemic. 2. Roll Call Present: Village Trustees Enyia, Robinson, and Taglia; Village President Scaman Absent: None 3. Public Comment There was no Public Comment. 4. Approval of Minutes A. ID 21-329 Minutes from the August 19, 2021 Meeting of the Personnel Committee It was moved by Village Trustee Enyia, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to approve the Minutes. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 4 - Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 5. New Business B. ID 21-315 A Motion to Approve the Position Announcement for the Village Manager Search Human Resource Director and Assistant Village Manager Kira Tchang gave an overview of this Item. She then introduced Dele Lowman and Kathleen (Katy) Rush from GovHR Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 12/2/2021 Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes October 20, 2021 who answered question related to their position announcement for the Village Manager Search. Village Trustee Robinson suggested to be consistent with the wording and refer to Oak Park as a village throughout the document. Trustee Robinson also requested to remove the mention of "well qualified candidates can expect to be hired at or above the mid-range of $215,000". Dele Lowman responded the thought for including this language is to give an indication to those very competitive candidates that they will not have to start at the bottom of the range for their salary negotiation. It is at the Board's discretion if they want to specify that point. President Scaman suggested adding some specificity to the wording. Village Trustee Taglia agreed with President Scaman's suggestion. Dele Lowman recommended to use "candidates that exceed the minimum qualifications" as the wording. Trustee Parakkat added that by making that statement we also run the risk of saying we are willing to hire someone who is below that (exceeding expectations) as well. President Scaman suggested narrowing the pay range ($205,000 - $240,000) if the assumption is that someone who would be hired at the $190,000 range would not be meeting the ideal expectations for the role. GovHR agreed to changing the pay range and take out the "well qualified candidates can expect to be hired at or above the mid-range of $215,000". Trustee Parakkat added strong facilitation skills did not come through in the description. Katy Rush indicated that the second bullet point on the second line states " facilitating courageous conversations related to racial justice and public safety". Village Trustee Parakkat responded he was looking at facilitation as more of a broad skill, not just for these specific topics. Village Trustee Parakkat added demonstrated commitment to Oak Park is not just about residency. Village Trustee Robinson does not think we need to include a residency requirement as a strict requirement and suggested residency preferred or strongly preferred. Village Trustee Taglia agreed with not having residency as a requirement. He suggested using "desired" and to consider using a radius for residency. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 12/2/2021 Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes October 20, 2021 Village Trustee Enyia stated there was probably a good reason to have a residency requirement previously. Now it is a harder burden for people to live in Oak Park and he doesn't want that to be the challenge of finding the right person for this position. Katy Rush added there can be some sort of compensation offered in the negotiations as an incentive to relocate (pay for moving expenses or a stipend of sorts), and cautioned that the residency piece can sometimes have a financial consequence. President Scaman recommended adding language that is reflective of a demonstrated commitment to Oak Park rather than specifying an exact mileage for residency. Katy Rush responded to indicate "a reasonable commuting distance" versus a number. Dele Lowman mentioned some of the stakeholder feedback from the Town Halls was the perception of someone who would be leading the village and not living in Oak Park being perceived as not invested in the community. The Board would need to ensure the individual can live in the community or to demonstrate to the community that the individual is still committed. Dele Lowman added the other side is that if a housing stipend is not expressly noted than the reasonable commuting distance is going to have to be key. Most career managers that are coming from outside of the metro area will most likely want to move to the community that they will be leading. Village Trustee Robinson made a motion to approve the position draft announcement incorporating the changes discussed this evening with respect to residency, salary, and making the reference to Oak Park as a village consistent throughout. Village Trustee Taglia seconded the motion. It was moved by Village Trustee Robinson, seconded by Village Trustee Taglia, to approve the Motion. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 4 - Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 C. ID 21-316 A Discussion Regarding the Interview Process for Village Manager Candidates Human Resource Director and Assistant Village Manager Kira Tchang Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 12/2/2021 Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes October 20, 2021 gave an overview of this Item and the interview process. Dele Lowman and Katy Rush then gave an overview of the interview process and next steps, and then answered questions regarding potential challenges with the interview process and senior staff. Village Trustee Taglia commented it makes sense to get input or feedback from senior staff once the candidate pool is narrowed. Village Trustee Robinson asked if there was a way to solicit anonymous feedback from senior staff? Dele Lowman responded there would probably be a way to design an anonymous feedback option. Village Trustee Parakkat requested to also add to the interview process feedback from colleagues of potential candidates that could highlight examples of deliverable results of the candidates. Dele Lowman responded that due diligence is built in to the process. During the three-week interim from when the position closes to when the Personnel Committee would meet again to review the candidates, GovHR would solicit feedback and interviews of their references which would be included in the candidate presentation. Dele Lowman then gave some feedback based on the stakeholder discussions including how to structure engagement with black residents to ensure they are included in the conversations and have an open safe space in which to participate. President Scaman requested feedback from the committee on the role the community will play in the review process. Village Trustee Taglia responded the more targeted approach is important, but that the broader approach may draw more people. Village Trustee Robinson requested clarification if it is realistic to have an interview process asking the candidate to do interviews with the Trustees, senior staff, and community interviews. Dele Lowman responded it is common to hold a two-day interview incorporating all these aspects in the process. Village Trustee Robinson requested clarification on if there would be a need for precautions for Covid safety. Delel Lowman responded there are ways to ensure a safe experience for the process. Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 12/2/2021 Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes October 20, 2021 President Scaman added building trust with our community in this process and having some buy in that the Board has chosen person who will champion the goals that we have is very important. Village Trustee Taglia added from his perspective there is flexibility in this process; at the end of the day they want the best candidates, even if that means following a slightly different process. 6. Adjournment It was moved by Village Trustee Enyia, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to adjourn. The motion was approved. The meeting adjourned at 6:56 P.M., Wednesday October 20, 2021. Respectfully Submitted, Deputy Clerk DeViller AYES: 4 - Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 12/2/2021