A consultant and “Team Washington” will recruit Washington's next city administrator.
Jim Arndt, from Charleston-based Arndt Municipal Support, will work with Maureen Chambers, the city's human relations manager; Amanda Roberts, the city's newly hired communications specialist; and Mayor Lilija Stevens – dubbed “Team Washington” by Arndt – in finding a replacement for Jim Snider, who resigned in August 2024.
City Engineer Dennis Carr has been serving as interim city administrator since May.
The city will pay Arndt $19,500 for his recruitment work. Had Arndt handled the entire recruitment, the cost would have been $23,500.
Among other duties, Team Washington will develop promotional recruitment materials and do routine social media and news article searches of candidates.
The Washington City Council's vote Monday for the hybrid recruitment plan was 5-2, with alderpersons John Blundy and Brandon Moss casting the opposing votes. Alderperson Mike McIntyre did not attend the meeting.
Blundy said he was concerned about a perception of bias from city staff if there was an internal candidate for the city administrator job, an apparent reference to Carr. Blundy said he had no problem with Stevens being on Team Washington because of the city's investment in the recruitment.
In response, Alderperson Bobby Martin III said it was “unprofessional to assume that city staff couldn't do what they're being asked to do without bias. I assume what Team Washington is being asked to do is stuff city staff would have done anyway."
Moss said the city's $4,000 savings by doing the hybrid recruitment approach wasn't enough to offset the approach's drawbacks, which include less accountability for Arndt and asking Roberts to be a part of Team Washington just as she's beginning her new job.
Stevens will appoint a new city administrator with the approval of the council.
Residents stepping up to fill spots on city boards and commissions
Some of the 21 openings on city boards and commissions were filled Monday with council's unanimous approval of appointments made by Stevens.
The Economic Development Commission was revived with the appointment of Martin for a five-year term. Martin will serve as the liaison between the EDC, council, and Jon Oliphant, the city's planning and development director, and work with Stevens to fill the remaining six openings on the commission.
Christian Lane, a Washington resident and Washington Public Works Department employee, was appointed to a three-year term on the Historic Preservation Commission. Three openings remain on the commission.
Washington residents Paula Balistreri, Gerald Storer and Mike Vaughn were appointed to the three-member Board of Police Commissioners for three-year terms. The previous three commissioners served for several years beyond the expiration of their terms and did not re-apply for the positions.
The Board of Police Commissioners appoints, disciplines and dismisses city police officers in accordance with state laws and city ordinances. Stevens said she worked with Police Chief Jeff Stevens in choosing the best candidates for these positions.
Balistreri has a background in human resources; Storer served nearly 32 years with the Vernon Hills Police Department, including deputy chief and interim chief; and Vaughn is a former Washington and East Peoria fire chief and was the Peoria Fire Department's emergency management coordinator.
The newly created portal for board and commission openings and applications can be found on the front page and on the mayor's page on the city of Washington's website, ci.washington.il.us.
Two city business improvement grants clear first hurdle
First readings were held Monday for city business improvement grants for Countryside Banquet & Catering, 659 School Street, and Sleep Inn and Suites, 1101 Cummings Lane. Council will vote on the grants Aug. 4.
Countryside has been approved by city staff to receive $20,810 for a project to replace the front exterior doors and two sets of side exterior doors. Estimated project cost is $41,620.
Sleep Inn & Suites has been approved by city staff to receive $10,975 for a project to sealcoat and stripe the motel's parking lot and improve the landscaping. Estimated project cost is $21,950.
Blundy said he will not be the Aug. 4 council meeting to vote on the grants, but he opposes them because they're for routine maintenance, not business enhancement.
"We shouldn't be rubber-stamping grant requests like these just because they made it through our filters," he said. "Plus, Countryside received a grant last year [for a parking lot project]. Maybe we should allow a business one grant every five years.
"I'm very much in favor of the grant request this year for the [future] Ben Franklin store, which needs rehabilitation. And I like the grant we approved last year for Nena Ace Hardware."
Business improvement grant requests from Ben Franklin [$50,000], Cherry Tree Shopping Center [$50,000] and Russell's Cycling & Fitness [$7,265] should come up for a first reading Aug. 4, according to Oliphant, after the business owners sign off on the grant documents.
All five grant requests were given a thumb's up by a majority of the council at its July 14 committee of the whole meeting.
The requests total $139,050 of the $290,000 budgeted for the business improvement grant program in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Fire-damaged public works storage building will be repaired
Among the items approved unanimously Monday by the council:
• Hiring Peoria-based P.J. Hoerr to repair the fire-damaged Jefferson Street public works storage building for a not-to-exceed cost of $340,000. That's the amount of insurance money the city will receive. P.J. Hoerr has estimated repairs will cost $321,065 barring any unexpected issues. Blundy said he'd like to see something done additionally to spruce up the exterior of the building.
• Making changes in on- and off-street downtown square parking restrictions because of the opening earlier this year of Tangled Roots Craft Beer & Kitchen. Parking restrictions on the square hadn't been reviewed since 2002.
• Revising the city's procurement policy to add language regarding the procurement of federal funds. The U.S. Department of Justice requested the revision after reviewing a grant the city received for the police department's new evidence storage building.
Get ready for daily U.S. Business Route 24 closures at the railroad viaduct
Here are highlights of city department heads' reports to the council:
BRIAN RITTENHOUSE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
• Daily closures of U.S. Business Route 24 at the railroad viaduct are expected to begin next Monday. The closures will be from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. so preparation work and the painting of a mural on the viaduct can be done.
JEFF STEVENS, POLICE CHIEF
• The police department's speed trailer was on Freedom Parkway, east of Menard's, for westbound traffic July 7-13. The trailer revealed the 85th percentile speed in the 40 mph zone was 45 mph, meaning 85% of vehicles detected were at 45 mph or less. Of 16,602 vehicles detected, 359 were clocked at more than 50 MPH.
•The police department will hold a National Night Out anti-crime community event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at Oak Ridge Park.
DENNIS CARR, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
• Roberts' first day on the job as communications specialist will be Aug. 6. A Washington resident, Roberts is currently director of marketing and communications for Easter Seals Central Illinois.
JON OLIPHANT, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
• The new owner of the former Foster Jewelry building at 104 N. Main Street plans to have a retail store on the ground floor and a residential space on the second floor. Interior renovation work has begun. Exterior renovations will be subject to approval by the city's Historic Preservation Commission.
DENNIS CARR, CITY ENGINEER
• Water main relocation work has begun at Grant Street in preparation for a Safe Routes to School sidewalk installation project.
• The Grandyle Drive storm water project has begun.
• Washington Township has begun a mill-and-overlay project on North Main Street beginning at the street's southern border and going north.
