The Aurora City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Jason Bauer to serve as the City’s new director of Public Works and City engineer.
Bauer, who had been serving as the interim director of Public Works and interim City engineer since March, was appointed to permanently fill the role following the departure of former director of Public Works, Ken Schroth. Bauer is an 11-year veteran of City Hall, initially beginning his tenure in Aurora in 2014 as a professional engineer. After less than one year in the role, Bauer was promoted, becoming an engineering coordinator with the City from 2015-2018. From 2018 through March of 2025, Bauer had served as the assistant director of Public Works and assistant City engineer, aiding in the execution of daily operations, leading the implementation of the City’s annual capital improvement plan, while also developing and executing the City’s lead service line replacement program.
Bauer is also an active member of the State of Illinois’ Lead Service Line Replacement Advisory Board, which works to provide the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency with recommendations on best practices for lead service line replacement efforts across the State.
Under his leadership, the City of Aurora has advanced several critical infrastructure initiatives, including the rollout of the City’s lead service line replacement program, plus the coordination of significant upgrades to RiverEdge Park, the downtown district, the Long-Term Control Plan, and ongoing infrastructure improvements.
As the incoming director of Public Works and City engineer, Bauer will oversee a Department of nearly 200 employees across a multitude of Divisions, including: Engineering, Street Maintenance, Water Production, Water and Sewer Maintenance, Downtown Services, and Electrical Maintenance.
— City of Aurora government