Orland Park board recasts planned strategic-analyst role as assistant to village manager after debate

The Village Board voted April 20 to adopt an amendment to Appendix B of the salary ordinance that retains a grade-seven position in the village-manager's office and repurposes it to combine assistant-to-the-village-manager duties with the strategic-performance analyst functions the village had sought to fill.

George (village management) explained staff had attempted to recruit a strategic performance analyst but the candidate offer was declined and the position proved hard to fill. "We went through the recruitment process. We made an offer to somebody; they declined," he said.

Trustee Milani and others questioned whether an entry-level, grade-seven hire could deliver the "strategic" analytical work the village sought and suggested outsourcing as an alternative for high-end analytics. Trustee Milani said he was concerned the combined role might not yield the intended strategic capability. Trustee Healy advocated for outsourcing where cost-effective.

Proponents said internal hiring would provide a consistent, on-site resource for data analytics and performance measurement over time. One trustee noted that the village could train and develop graduate-level hires into stronger long-term employees and that internal capacity had returned after recent hires.

The board approved the ordinance amendment by roll call: votes recorded in the transcript show a mix of 'aye' and 'no' votes and the motion carried. Staff said the change is cost-neutral in the budget and that the position will be recruited with clarifying job duties.

Next steps: staff will restart recruitment under the adjusted job title and grade, provide updated job descriptions and candidate materials to trustees, and track how the position supports data analytics and accreditation objectives.