Naperville Park District employees will be getting 3% midyear raises to address a problem with staffing levels.
One of the greatest challenges facing the district is filling vacant positions and retaining existing personnel, Executive Director Brad Wilson told the park board when introducing the district’s three-year financial plan.
Wilson said maintaining adequate staffing is a priority so the district can provide service levels the community expects at prices residents can afford.
One area that has received the notice of residents is the appearance of the parks.
Director of Parks Tim Quigley said the district is taking an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to address the mowing and upkeep needs of park properties.
A rainy phase this spring caused the district to defer outdoor maintenance work, and staff is trying to catch up, he said.
“We’re working as quickly as possible to cycle through our mowing rotations. Staff is in seven days per week and staying late whenever possible,” Quigley said.
Besides being short about 13 part-time crew members, when breakdowns occur, repair parts take time to replace because of supply chain issues, he said.
The district might outsource routine activities, such as contractors to perform custodial duties, pond or natural area maintenance, or mowing, Quigley said.
To make the vacant positions attractive and retain workers once they’re hired, Finance Director Sue Stanish said the district is proposing a midyear 3% pay adjustment in 2022.
Then the three-year plan calls for 4% merit increases in 2023, she said.
Also next year, Stanish said the district is proposing two new hires: a digital marketing strategist for the market department and a project manager for the planning department.
During her more than 10-year tenure with the park district, she said, she’s never seen a situation where the district had the money to hire personnel but were unable to find people to fill the jobs.
Along with staffing, Wilson said the district is mindful of rising costs of supplies and the ability to sustain the programming and events with the resources the district has available.
“This is something that we look at in everything that we do, not only in the services that we provide to the community but in the resources that we provide to our employees to make sure that they’re able to do the job efficiently and effectively throughout the community,” Wilson said.
Andrea Coates, director of recreation and facilities, said concession jobs have been difficult to fill.
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