“I’ve been blessed to be able to work in a community like Naperville. We do things here that other communities don’t,” said Bill Novack, Naperville’s Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Development.
Bill Novack set to retire as Naperville’s Director of TED
Bill Novack will step down from his role as Naperville’s Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Development as he prepares to retire on May 2.
His retirement marks the end of an engineering career with over 30 years of service to the Naperville community.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great individuals over the years,” said Novack.
Beginning his career at the city of Naperville in 1992
He began working for the city as a senior civil engineer in May 1992. His tasks involved reviewing subdivision plans and working on the capital improvement program, among other responsibilities.
“My first capital project was the Eagle Street Bridge. When I got here, they had a broken beam on it [and] had to shut down the outside lane. I had the ability to take the project, was able to go through the consultant selection, get through the phase one engineering, then the phase two, then get it to construction and get it built,” said Novack.
Over the years, he moved up the ladder, eventually becoming the city’s design engineering manager. But the new role quickly came with challenges.
“A week after that promotion, we had the July 17 and 18, 1996 flood. We had a tremendous amount of damage throughout the city, [and] a lot of areas that needed attention. It was a lot of work with FEMA and everyone else relative to getting dollars properly documented,” said Novack.
As the newest manager, Novack was in charge of managing paperwork and looking into areas that needed flood control projects, including Steeple Run and Huffman Street.
“Some of them we were able to take care of relatively quickly, but others took over a decade. Steeple Run and Huffman Street were a really big project that took a very long time. Several different projects in order to implement that flood control, but eventually we got it all built, and we got the area remapped and got all those homes out of the floodplain,” said Novack.
Becoming the Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Development
In the fall of 2012, Novack stepped into his current role as Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Development, overseeing city roadways, infrastructure functionality, and property development.
“Having somebody at the helm who understands what the city’s needs are, what the city’s master plan is, understands the ramifications of a certain project on traffic or potentially the impact on a school or recreational facilities, that’s a very important responsibility,” said Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli. “Bill has done a wonderful job making sure he understands all of these issues, as well as can speak on them when he’s asked questions at public meetings.”
Novack has been involved with numerous projects as the Director of TED. One of his favorites was a zoning-related exception.
In 2015, Matt and JoAnne Koupal wanted to build an extension to their home where they could move in, so their son Luke, who has a developmental disability, could live more independently in the main home area, while remaining close.
“Our zoning code didn’t allow it, but I was like, ‘We’ve got to figure out a way to make this happen,’ and they did. They are living here in Naperville, in the same home, and loving it. It makes my heart warm,” said Novack.
Novack gets recognized for his years of service to the city
To recognize more than 30 years of service to the city, Mayor Wehrli issued a proclamation honoring Novack at the April 15 City Council meeting.
“Therefore, I, Scott Wehrli, mayor of the city of Naperville, do hereby proclaim May 2, 2025, in recognition of the retirement of William Novack in the city of Naperville,” said Mayor Wehrli at the meeting.
“Little did I know or expect that I would finish my full-time civil engineering career in Naperville. How lucky I am. I learned a lot about what people value and stuff like that, and when eventually built something, I knew it was in the best interest of the city and the best that we could do,” said Novack at the meeting.
“Bill is a unique individual. He has given the city three decades of his life. He’s sat through 600 city council meetings, he’s been our representative on the Riverwalk board, I mean, he has done it all,” said Wehrli. “He has seen the city grow from 86,000 people to now over 150,000 during his tenure, and he was very responsible for a lot of those development decisions that came across his table and ultimately made Naperville what it is today.”
His upcoming retirement
Looking ahead to retirement, Novack said he’s excited to enjoy some free time, keep himself productive, and spend time with his family. As a resident of Aurora, he won’t be too far from the family he built in Naperville.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people in Naperville over the years and formed relationships with them, a wide range of different individuals. I will not be a stranger. I’ll still be coming by saying hi,” said Novack.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
