McHenry County administrator names Alicia Shuler deputy; proposes expanded assistant role for procurement and facilities

McHenry County's administration told the Finance & Audit Committee on Dec. 4 that Alicia Shuler will be promoted to deputy county administrator and that the county will expand the director of procurement and special services role into an assistant county administrator with added responsibility for facilities, space planning and municipal economic-development assistance.

County Administrator Scott said the shift is intended to consolidate leadership duties while reducing a headcount in the short term and to better deploy in-house talent. "Alicia Shuler is going to be promoted into deputy county administrator," Scott said, describing the deputy as a clear No. 2 and saying the assistant role would become a No. 3 with an expanded portfolio including facilities, infrastructure projects and municipal partnerships.

The proposal would eventually migrate purchasing back under finance and reassign some duties to reflect the new structure. Scott said the migration of procurement is "the vision" but will require additional planning and formal board action to transfer purchasing authority. "It is the vision. It's something we want to migrate to, but it's not going to be an immediate move," he said.

CFO Carrie confirmed she had been consulted about the change and said staff will meet next week with Scott and Adam Latundra, the current director of procurement and special services, to map transition steps and workload impacts. Carrie said the change will increase oversight of purchasing controls and that department staff will explore how to absorb the additional duties.

Board members welcomed the appointments while raising questions about timing, internal equity and the number and timing of potential job reclassifications. "I would really like to see that in a package consideration," a committee member said, urging that any reclassifications not be handled piecemeal throughout the year. Scott acknowledged the concern and said he, Carrie and HR will review salary-administration policy to guide midyear reclassifications.

The committee voted to approve the resolution as presented. Staff was directed to provide more detailed role descriptions, a timeline for migrating purchasing authority, and any necessary salary or classification changes for board consideration.

The county administrator said the reorganization is intended to increase efficiency and support economic development in unincorporated areas and with municipal partners. Scott described the move as a multi-year staffing plan that could be revisited later should additional analyst support be needed.

Next steps: staff will return with a detailed transition plan, recommended job classifications and any proposed changes to purchasing authority for formal board action.