Trustees Eliminate Two Positions at Village Hall

As part of the village's cost-saving measures heading into the next budget cycle, trustees Monday approved eliminating both the assistant clerk and the treasurer positions. Together, the salaries come to about $88,000 annually plus benefits.

The vote came just minutes after Trustee Tom Weatherston read a statement outlining the village's precarious financial position.

Village President Bob Bradley said Administrator Mark Janiuk was tasked last summer after he was hired to identify where efficiencies could be improved.

"It's never easy, but we are broke and we need to make these hard decisions," Bradley said. 

Both positions were occupied. Sharon Chmielinski was in the clerk's office, and Xenia Ramos was the treasurer.

During public comment at the meeting Monday, Ramos' husband stood up to defend his wife and said Janiuk's recommendation was personal. 

"It took her three years to certify as a state treasurer and every time she balanced to the penny," he said. "I feel like Mr. Janiuk made this decision based on personal feelings and she was targeted."

Janiuk said his recommendations were not driven by either personnel or personal reasons, but instead by a real need to find cost-savings for the village.

"We have to save money," he said. "And a lot of this is that people have never been cross-trained, but doing that increases the pool of people with knowledge."