Macomb council rejects planning-and-development specialist job description after public concern over duplication
May 05, 2026 | Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois
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The Macomb City Council declined to approve a proposed planning and development specialist job description for the Community Development Office after a heated discussion and public comment questioning duplication of duties and fiscal priorities.
A resident speaking during public comment urged the council to reject the position, arguing it “duplicates the responsibilities of the community development director” and would not leave clear accountability for core duties. The resident said taxpayers should not be asked to pay for “something of redundancy.”
City staff (Mr. Suarez and Scott) described substantial new workloads for Community Development — including an upcoming comprehensive plan exercise, expanded business development district programming, and increased TIF activity — and said cross‑training and additional staffing were intended to accelerate projects and maintain responsiveness. Suarez said the comprehensive plan work “may be more over a two‑year period” and emphasized that the department’s community engagement and data analysis needs justified additional capacity.
Council members split along timing and structural concerns. Alderman Dave Dorset told colleagues he remained unconvinced that “now is the time” to add a position because the department is “in flux” with recent leadership and vacancies; others argued the position had been included in the adopted budget and would enable the department to deliver on strategic priorities. Alderman Huy and others said they supported the position to expand responsiveness; Alderman Shu and several colleagues raised concerns about overlapping duties with the director and asked for a broader review of duplicative roles across the city.
After discussion, the motion to approve the job description failed on a 4–3 roll call. Council members directed staff to return with amendments and to bring a more comprehensive discussion of duplicated duties across departments before bringing the item back for consideration.
A resident speaking during public comment urged the council to reject the position, arguing it “duplicates the responsibilities of the community development director” and would not leave clear accountability for core duties. The resident said taxpayers should not be asked to pay for “something of redundancy.”
City staff (Mr. Suarez and Scott) described substantial new workloads for Community Development — including an upcoming comprehensive plan exercise, expanded business development district programming, and increased TIF activity — and said cross‑training and additional staffing were intended to accelerate projects and maintain responsiveness. Suarez said the comprehensive plan work “may be more over a two‑year period” and emphasized that the department’s community engagement and data analysis needs justified additional capacity.
Council members split along timing and structural concerns. Alderman Dave Dorset told colleagues he remained unconvinced that “now is the time” to add a position because the department is “in flux” with recent leadership and vacancies; others argued the position had been included in the adopted budget and would enable the department to deliver on strategic priorities. Alderman Huy and others said they supported the position to expand responsiveness; Alderman Shu and several colleagues raised concerns about overlapping duties with the director and asked for a broader review of duplicative roles across the city.
After discussion, the motion to approve the job description failed on a 4–3 roll call. Council members directed staff to return with amendments and to bring a more comprehensive discussion of duplicated duties across departments before bringing the item back for consideration.
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