Voting Meeting: Fire Chief Announces Resignation, Successor Named

Western Springs Village Manager Pat Higgins officially announced at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting that Fire Chief Anthony “Tony” Bednarz will be retiring on December 31^st of this year, after five years with the Village and over 50 years as a firefighter.

“It’s truly been an honor and a privilege to be here,” said Bednarz, who spent 30 years as fire chief in Riverside before coming to Western Springs. “This is a very professional operation, and I every day was more impressed with the dedication of everybody that serves… I’ll miss it a lot, I think.”

“While Chief Bednarz’s career in Western Springs has been relatively short by Western Springs standards, it has nevertheless been significant,” said Higgins. “He’s compeleted all the major tasks set out when we hired him, most importantly in the nurturing of the volunteer component of our combined department… Suffice it to say tonight that he’ll be missed.”

Bednarz’s successor will be Patrick Kenny, currently the assistant executive director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and previously the fire chief of the Hinsdale department. Kenny will officially become Western Springs Fire Chief on Jan. 1, 2012, after a one-month transitional period.

Other business at the meeting included the presentation of the 2010 Village financial report by Brian Lefevre of Sikich, Gardner & Company. Lefevre presented a largely positive report, praising the Village’s fiscal responsibility and noting that the Village took in $125,000 more than it spent over the course of the year.

The Village also began 2011 with $2.4 million to devote to services, 28 percent of the total expected yearly budget. While this is slightly below the Village’s typical goal of 30 percent, Lefevre noted that the Village is still owed payments from the county and state which would make up the balance.

The Village has released the complete financial report on their official website.

Village President Bill Rodeghier said that the report showed the success of policies instituted about 18 months ago, when cost-cutting measures were put in place in anticipation of a decreased revenue stream.

“It was not pleasant to let some people go, but we had to do it to keep in balance, and I’m appreciative of the staff tightening the belt and keeping to it,” Rodeghier said.

Finally, the Village officially approved the Downtown Redevelopment Plan as an amendment to the 2003 Land Use Plan, ending nearly two years of discussion on the matter. The plan can be viewed online here.

“I think it’s been hashed over more than any plan that’s ever been presented to this Village before,” said Rodeghier.

The only other measure passed on the Board’s omnibus vote was a measure allowing Verizon Wireless to install new equipment on the Spring Rock Water Tower.