Campton Hills cuts police for administrator

Campton Hills officials are taking steps toward hiring a village administrator, but say local police services might suffer as a result.

The village board this week approved an appropriations ordinance for fiscal 2009-10 that reduces police administrative costs by $75,000 and carves out $90,000 for the hiring of a village administrator. The ordinance, effective Aug. 1, also outlines money for the possible expansion of village hall.

The changes came at the end of a contentious meeting that started Tuesday night and ended early Wednesday with village officials disagreeing on whether the ordinance was realistic.

Trustee Al Lenkaitis, who along with Trustee John Strauss proposed moving the funds, said the plan should help day-to-day village operations by adding a professional trained in human resources and land planning, while reducing the village's pricey reliance on attorneys for daily business.

But Village President Patsy Smith said Thursday the "last-minute" revisions may be temporary.

"There's going to have to be a lot more analysis by the finance committee and village treasurer before I'm going to be able to agree there's enough money to do that," she said. "Because the changes were recommended at the last minute, the village treasurer and finance committee have not been able to review the feasibility."

Smith declined further comment.

Police Chief Greg Anderson said he "had no input" in the discussion and has yet to figure out how to free up $75,000.

"It definitely means I'm going to have to cut services," he said. "When I developed the budget, there was nothing at all. It was bare bones."

Lenkaitis said there is no timetable for hiring a village administrator, but the board is interested in an experienced candidate who "has a forward-looking mind."

The addition of a full-time employee, he said, might require the village to either expand or relocate its already cramped office at Route 64 and LaFox Road. That would cost between $20,000 and $30,000, he said, but also benefit the police department, which shares village hall, by creating more space.

"I think by doing this we had a divergence of directions," Lenkaitis said. "Instead of just moving toward public safety, we moved toward public safety and long-term planning."

An appropriations ordinance is different from a budget in that the village is bound by its annual budget while the ordinance is only an outline of potential expenditures in the coming year.