Present at the Sept. 21 Village Council meeting were, from left, Stephanie Pearce, Senay Semere, Carmen Brown, Angie Hsu, Gavin DeVore Leonard and Interim Village Manager Jeff Sheridan. (Video still)
Village Council votes to accept Burns’ resignation, agreements
- Published: October 1, 2026
At the most recent Village Council meeting, Monday, Sept. 21, Village Council members voted affirmatively to accept the resignation of Village Manager Johnnie Burns, as well as to approve separation and consultation agreements with him.
After two years as manager, and before that, 12 years as public works director and electric superintendent, Burns announced his resignation at a special Council meeting last month.
Now, as the Village searches for his successor, Burns will serve as a consultant for the public works department for the next year, per the agreement Council approved on Monday.
Jeff Sheridan, of Management Advisory Group, LLC, is now serving as interim manager.
From the approval of a supplemental appropriations ordinance, Council added to the Village budget $32,843.04 to pay out Burns’ remaining time-off wages, as well as $53,705.60 for his consulting services for the remainder of 2026. By a vote of 5–0, Council unanimously approved that ordinance.
Following that, Council voted on a related, two-part resolution — one that bundled Burns’ separation agreement and consultation agreement in one piece of legislation.
Ahead of the vote on that resolution, Village solicitor Amy Blankenship referred to the separation agreement as a “straightforward document.”
“Of course, when it’s you and your situation and your employee, it certainly becomes much more personal, but these are very standard terms of separation,” Blankenship said.
Of note, the separation agreement includes a release that disallows Burns from pursuing any litigation against the Village regarding the conditions, terms and circumstances surrounding his resignation, which, as he said at the time of the announcement in August, he proffered by his “own free will.”
Blankenship noted that the consultation agreement is less boilerplate, and more tailored to Burns’ particular relationship with the Village.
“This spells out what his role will be as a public works consultant — that he will be available to the employees of the public works department to answer questions, help out or do whatever they might need from him as they transition away from having him in the role of manager,” Blankenship said.
Specifically, Burns will no longer be classified as a Village employee, but rather an independent contractor; he will no longer receive Village benefits. For the next 12 months, Burns will be compensated a monthly rate of $13,426.40, regardless of the hours spent and activities carried out.
That resolution — the bundled separation and consultation agreements — ultimately passed 4–1, with Council member Carmen Brown dissenting.
All told, with the payout and consultation fees on top of the monthly compensation, the Village will have paid Burns nearly $194,000 by the end of September next year.
Meanwhile, the Village is paying for Sheridan’s work as interim manager: As previously reported in the News, that agreement stipulates that the interim manager will work an average of 24 hours per week for approximately 16 weeks, at a rate of $135 per hour.
Sheridan sat in Burns’ typical seat at the Council dais during Monday’s meeting. It was his first day on the job; Council President Gavin DeVore Leonard said he’ll be expected to “jump in a bit more” the next time Council convenes on Oct. 5.
Still, Sheridan had some news to share on Monday.
Village finance director Michelle Robinson submitted her resignation effective Oct. 9, Sheridan said. Upon her departure from the Village and until her successor is hired, the Village will rely on the Shared Resource Center for interim finance director services.
The Village has done so in the past; last fall, consultant Tiffany Hiser helped Village Council work on this year’s budget. A similar outsourcing of financial consultation will happen this fall, Sheridan suggested, as Council approaches a few 2027 budget planning sessions beginning next month.
“There will be no dropped ball in services,” Sheridan said.
The next Village Council meeting will be Monday, Oct. 5, in Council Chambers in the John Bryan Community Center.
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