Village amends budget to hire McMahon Associates for fire‑chief recruitment

The Village Board on July 14 approved Resolution 12‑20‑25 to amend the 2025 budget and enter an agreement with McMahon Associates, Inc. to administer the recruitment and selection process for a new fire chief. Trustees said the Police and Fire Commission recommended McMahon, which performed the village’s previous search, and staff requested the budget amendment because the departure was unanticipated.

Mary (last name not provided in the transcript), representing village staff and the Police and Fire Commission, told the board the fire chief is leaving and that McMahon had been recommended. "This is who we used the last search. They are the ones this afternoon that gave us the presentation on the organizational studies," she said. The resolution passed on roll call with all trustees voting aye.

The resolution amends the village budget to add funding for recruitment services and authorizes staff to finalize an agreement with McMahon Associates. Trustees noted they had discussed the recruitment and compensation process at length at a prior Committee of the Whole meeting; no additional public testimony was offered for this item during the meeting. Staff will return with the contract and next steps for posting the position and conducting candidate screening and interviews.

This action amends the FY2025 budget only for recruitment services; it does not appoint a successor fire chief or change department operations other than authorizing the vendor engagement and funding to proceed.