By Sue Moore
He is a “Great steward of the village monies,” was just one of the many compliments members of the Vicksburg Village Council voiced about Village Manager Ken Schippers. This was the anniversary of his first year as manager and his first performance review. “Excellent progress on road, water, and sewer initiatives,” the members said.
An accomplishment that was cited in the review included reducing overdue water bills from $300,000 to $30,000. It is anticipated that past due balances will continue to decrease and revenues increase based on the improved processes and procedure.
One of Schippers’ strengths was in communications with staff and the public. Council members commended him as able to speak on all levels. “He appears to have the respect of all with no problems noted.” The area of responsiveness in the performance review, drew 10s all across the board from the council. He is “very responsive to all forms of communication. No problems noted.”
Some areas that the council would like to see Schippers challenge himself in 2015, included the golf course and the police department. “We remain one equipment failure away from profit and loss,” at Angels Crossing they said. “Revenue streams for the coming year must increase to cover capital equipment expenditures. The goal is to generate $100,000 plus in years ahead and to budget in the future for the capital needs of the course. A more aggressive approach is needed to increase revenue especially in the off-season months.”
The council said that an improvement is needed with ordinance flow and enforcement. Council feels they need to be more user-friendly in the enforcement of ordinances. Police issues have been dealt with well, they said, so he really didn’t get low marks there either.
Schippers thanked the council upon being presented with the review. “They have been very fair with me. I’m happy,” he said. “Next year I’d like to get all nines and tens.”