Kane County approves local historian and workforce director appointments

The Kane County Board approved two personnel actions on Nov. 10: creation/approval of a local historian position and the appointment of a permanent director of Workforce Development.

The board first took up an ordinance (25‑389) to create the position of Kane County local historian. The measure passed by roll call; the board then voted to appoint Kenneth C. Shepro (present at the meeting) to the unpaid volunteer post. Shepro was sworn into office and offered brief remarks about his local history work and plans to safeguard county historical materials.

Later the board discussed and approved the appointment of a permanent director for the county’s workforce development program. Committee members described the chosen candidate (first name Adam, formerly with Waubonsee Community College) as an experienced workforce professional with relevant local board experience; the appointment was approved by roll call and the hire will be treated as a county employee for pension and benefit purposes.

Votes: both measures were approved by recorded roll-call votes. The workforce-related appointment included an allocation for outstanding past-due compensation for an interim employee; the board clarified that any unearned amounts would not be paid.

Next steps: Human Resources and the clerk’s office will complete onboarding and benefit enrollment for the workforce director; the local historian will be provided a secure, fireproof safe for county historical materials as required by state law.