S. Barrington adding two police officers

A more carefully considered eye on finances won unanimous approval Thursday for the first staffing increase in more than a decade for South Barrington's police force.

Village Trustee Steve Guranovich made a motion to hire two new officers immediately, with the hiring of two more in the fall contingent on receiving a federal grant for them.

His backing away from hiring four new officers at once prevented what might have been a split board and a possible veto by Village President Frank Munao.

"This is something I can support," Munao said upon hearing the motion. "It has a lot of reasonableness to it."

Though recent growth in the village was driving a perceived need for more police, Munao believed it fiscally responsible to wait until the first taxes from new residential and commercial properties were collected in the fall.

Each new officer is expected to cost approximately $100,000, including benefits.

Trustee Anthony Navitsky said the taxpayer cost of the two new officers is calculated to be between $88 and $150 for every $250,000 of equalized assessed property value.

But Munao cautioned that significant reassessments of property value might throw off that calculation in the future.

A recent increase in break-ins and burglaries in South Barrington had led Guranovich and some other officials to believe the village could wait no longer to address police staffing levels.

The addition of four more officers would allow the department to move from three beats to four, giving each officer a more manageable territory to patrol.

South Barrington has strong hopes of receiving the federal grant for two more officers in the fall, village attorney Mike Durkin said.

Police Chief Michael Deegan said part-time officers could help fill out the new beat until the grant is received.