Gerald Plock Associates, Inc. 101 E. Park Blvd, Suite 600, PMB 634 Plano, Texas 75074 Phone: 1-866-748-7704 GeraldPlock@GeraldPlockAssoc.com

Rolling Meadows is a small community with big city aspirations! Located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with a population of 24,000, Rolling Meadows continues to prosper and grow. The city proudly shares a spot in Illinois?’ "Golden Corridor" and offers many economic and business opportunities. The City is 27 miles from downtown Chicago. Rolling Meadows is part of the Chicago northwest suburban area that encompasses 32 communities along Interstate 90 from O?’Hare Airport to Elgin, Illinois. This area is home to approximately 890,000 persons and employs more than 550,000. The diversity of business and industry provides a stable economic tax base, which in turn creates outstanding municipal services, educational systems, health and human care agencies and recreational facilities.

Founded in 1955, the City of Rolling Meadows sprang from the vision of residential developer Kimball Hill who was committed to building affordable single-family homes for growing families in the years following the Second World War. Since then, generations of families have matured within the City, building the multifaceted community life that makes Rolling Meadows a great place to call home. There is a wide variety of residential housing at appealing prices. Rolling Meadows?’ commitment to community drives continuous enhancements, including the comprehensive downtown revitalization initiative completed in the late 1990?’s.

Rolling Meadows, located approximately 10 miles from O?’Hare Airport, stretches northward from the Northwest Tollway (I-90) to Northwest Highway (U.S. 14), wrapping two sides of Arlington International Racecourse. Tall business towers in its southern sector express the city?’s involvement in the booming "Golden Corridor". Route 53 provides residents quick access to the entire metropolitan interstate highway system. Rolling Meadows is bordered by State Route 14 (Northwest Highway) to the north and State Route 58 to the south (Golf).

There are three school districts and several parochial and private schools that serve Rolling Meadows. All have achieved excellence in education. William Rainey Harper

Community College in Palatine is a next-door neighbor to the city and offers students the opportunity to obtain Associate?’s degree and continuing education for adults. Also, Rolling Meadows is home of a branch of DePaul University.

Rolling Meadows is a great place to live and work and offers businesses an outstanding opportunity for economic growth and development. The community is thoroughly committed to economic growth and development as it enters the new Millennium. Its broad vision and entrepreneurial spirit is evident everywhere, from the million dollar downtown revitalization along Kirchoff Road?—site of the landmark Carillon Bell Tower and the Veteran?’s Memorial?—to the major office towers that are home to some of the world?’s most renowned corporations (3M and Northrup ?–Grumman) to name a few. The redevelopment of the Market Place has brought Wall Mart and Sam?’s Club. There are approximately 25,000 jobs within the community and over 8,000,000 square feet of office/manufacturing space and the City is one of the employment centers of the region.

The City has many recreational opportunities as well with its 11 parks and the sports/recreation centers of the Rolling Meadows Park District.

Additional information may be obtained on the City?’s web site: www.ci.rolling-meadows.il.us. Interested candidates may also contact the Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce: rollingmeadowschamber@worldnet.att.net.

The City of Rolling Meadows is organized under the Council-Manager form of government. Council-Manager government was adopted in 1976.

A seven member City Council, headed by the Mayor, serves as the policy making body for the City. The Mayor is directly elected. The current Mayor is Thomas Menzel and is in his second term. There are seven aldermanic wards with one Council-Member elected on a non-partisan basis from each ward for four-year staggered terms. The City has term limits for both Mayor and Aldermen. Elections for wards two (currently held by Merton Staley), four (currently held by Tom Rooney) and six (currently held by John D?’Astice) will be in April of 2001. At this time, all three incumbents are running for re-election. Seats for wards one (currently held by Kenneth Nelson), three (currently held by Suzanne Jungman) five (currently held by Glenn Adams) and seven (currently held by Rudolf Balek) will be open in 2003. Citizens also elect a City Clerk and City Treasurer. Council holds regularly scheduled public meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. A Committee of the Whole meeting?—an informal workshop?—is held the third Tuesday of the month. Council meetings are broadcast live on local cable television.

There is extensive citizen participation in Rolling Meadows. Residents are encouraged to serve on numerous boards and commissions. The City also publishes a regular monthly newsletter for residents.

The City became a home rule unit as a result of a successful referendum that authorized the City not to have tax rate or debt limits nor requires a referendum to authorize the issuance of debt or the increase of property taxes.

Rolling Meadows is a member of the Northwest Suburban Joint Action Water Agency, which provides water to the City from Lake Michigan. Wastewater treatment is conducted by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Like many other municipalities in Illinois, park and recreation services are provided by a separate taxing- body. The library is a component unit of the City Government. The City Council approves the Library?’s budget and tax levy.

City Employees strive to provide professional, high-quality services and to treat those we serve as we expect to be treated.

Caring Attitude

Understanding Your Needs

Sense of Pride

Teamwork

Open Communication

Motivated, loyal and knowledgeable

Equal Treatment

Respect for ALL

The City Manager, appointed by the City Council, is the Chief Administrative Officer of the City appoints and directs the activities of the heads of the administrative departments grouped into: Police, Fire, Public Works, Health and Human Resources, Finance and Planning and Building. The City Manager also serves as an ex-officio member of the Rolling Members Chamber of Commerce which is located in the Municipal Building.

The City?’s FY2001 budget is approximately $35 million and includes 205 full-time equivalent employees. The City has a calendar year budget cycle. The Director of Finance and the other City Department Heads take the lead role in the preparation of the preliminary budget in conjunction with the City Manager. The City has been recognized by the Government Finance Officer?’s Award for both Distinguished Budget Presentation and Certificate of Achievement for Financial Reporting on a consistent basis. The financial team also prepares and updates a three and five-year financial plan for the City. The City has an AA2 rating by Moody?’s Investor Service.

The Public Works Department was honored for management innovation and environmental excellence in 2000. Commended for its customer service program, the department received the Management Innovation Award by the Chicago Metropolitan Chapter of the American Public Works Association.

The Police Department has 76 authorized employees, including 54 sworn and 22-full time civilian personnel. The Police Department received formal accreditation in 1993 and is currently undergoing re-accreditation. The City?’s community policing program, including the operation of the Police Neighborhood Resource Center is among the most recognized COP programs in the entire Chicago Metropolitan Area. The department also sponsors a Citizen's Police Academy.

The Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services to the City and works with nearby communities on a reciprocal basis to ensure all local emergencies receive prompt response. Emergencies include fire, suspected carbon monoxide leaks, hazardous material spills, specialized rescue and severe auto accidents. The department provides ALS/paramedic response and transport by ambulance. The Department also provides numerous community-based public education programs. The Department also sponsors a Citizens Fire Academy.

Protecting the public?’s health, safety and welfare and the aesthetics of the community, and overseeing the planned growth of the City are among the chief responsibilities of the Building and Zoning Department. In addition to monitoring the quality of home improvement projects, the Building and Zoning Department helps to oversee planned growth of the community, including downtown redevelopment.

The Health and Human Services Department is responsible for inspection and educational programs focusing on disease prevention and problem resolution. The staff ensures health safety in public facilities, daycare centers, restaurants and public swimming pools.

The City recognizes two employees unions for the Police and Fire Department. Three- year contracts with each union occurred in January 2000.

The City Manager?’s position provides an outstanding opportunity to lead a progressive and stable municipality in the Chicago metropolitan area. The former City Manager, William Barlow, had been in the position since 1996 before leaving to accept a position with another municipality. The current management team is very experienced and highly professional. The ideal candidate will recognize the considerable experience and skill of the existing staff and utilize his or her time effectively by delegating broad responsibility and authority for operations to department heads. The City is financially sound and has an AA2 rating by Moody?’s Investor Services.

Current challenges/issues facing the community include:

• Economic development in the City is still possible but the number of prime lots is growing smaller and they are in relatively complex areas requiring negotiation between many entities.
• A proposal to extend Chicago?’s Blue Line or "L" from O?’Hare Airport into the Northwest suburbs is under study. The Blue Line would improve transportation in the suburban area and provide access to the labor market in the City. The City Manager will continue to represent the Rolling Meadows at meetings involving the Regional Transportation Agency and a consortium of communities in the Northwest suburbs.
• A museum is being planned to commemorate the establishment of Rolling Meadows through the building of a replica of an early home in the area and the City is providing support for this activity.
• Business retention efforts need to be vigorously undertaken. The City Manager will be expected to continue in continuous communication with local businesses and industries.
• Re-development of residential/commercial structures will continue to take place. This will include subdivision of large lots located on the west side of the community into smaller residential lots, and tear down of existing homes and buildings to permit the construction of larger homes.
• The contracts with the City?’s Police and Fire unions will expire in December 2002. The City Manager has played an important role on the labor negotiating team.
• A good working relationship with surrounding communities is important to the City Council. The City Manager will play an important role in this activity.
• The City is financially sound and will need to continue to monitor revenue sources and expenditures to ensure a healthy general fund.
• Significant changes have been implemented in recent years to modernize city services and methods. The new City Manager will build on this strong foundation.

The next Rolling Meadows City Manager will be experienced and be able to "hit the ground running." The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills and bring to Rolling Meadows a modern and innovative approach to City management; be financially astute; be committed to best practices and customer service; be experienced in economic development and redevelopment and have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills. The City Manager should have strong project management skills.

Education and Experience Requirements:

A bachelor?’s degree from an accredited college is required; a MPA or related degree is preferred.

Significant experience in municipal government at the department head level or higher is required. Broad experience in supervision with the ability to motivate employees is required. Prior experience working in a diverse community in a metropolitan area is important.

The City Manager should have a very strong background in municipal finance and human resources. This includes: budget preparation, administration and forecasts; building a centralized personnel function; and the implementing a Human Resource Information System

A record of continuous professional development is necessary. The candidate should also have a record of encouraging and supporting training and development for staff.

Experience working in a unionized environment is important. Expertise in the negotiation of labor contracts is highly desirable.

MANAGEMENT STYLE/INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND ABIILITIES

The next City Manager will have outstanding interpersonal skills, an even temperament, a modest ego and strong verbal and written communication skills. An appreciation for diversity is very important. The successful candidate will be adept at working and communicating with elected and appointed officials, citizens, businesses and employees at all levels of the organization. The individual must be able to represent the best interests of the City in a variety of settings. The City Manager must have the highest ethical standards and be committed to dealing with all persons in an impartial manner without regard for gender, racial or ethnic background, socio-economic status or disability.

The candidate will be open to constructive criticism and be willing to consider new ideas and suggestions from others. Strong listening skills are needed. A sense of fairness is required.

Strong leadership skills are essential. The candidate should have good conflict resolution skills and the ability to achieve consensus with others is important.

A modern, participative management style is important. Delegation of authority and responsibility to an experienced management staff while maintaining accountability is an essential component of this management style or philosophy. A sincere commitment to employee empowerment is essential.

The current compensation for this position $94,264 plus flexible/cafeteria employee benefits, including a post employment health insurance program. The candidate will be eligible to participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (City contribution 8.41%). The City offers two 457k programs, ICMA RC and PEPSCO.

Individuals interested in applying for the position should send their resume to the City?’s Executive Search Consultant: Gerald Plock, Gerald Plock Associates, Inc., 7501 Stallion Circle, Flower Mound, TX 75022. A Blue Ribbon Citizens Panel has been formed to assist the City Council in the selection process and will conduct initial interviews and narrow the field for interview by the Mayor and Council.

Home | Who We Are | About Gerald Plock | Who We Serve | Diversity
Associates | Current Positions

?© 2001 Gerald Plock Associates, Inc. No part of this site may be reproduced (either electronically or in printed form) without written permission of Gerald Plock Associates, Inc.