Hoffman trustees oppose proposed police, fire and public works layoffs

Hoffman Estates trustees say they oppose threatened layoffs in the fire, police and public works departments.

News surfaced last week that the village has asked the unions for concessions to help fill a $1.4 million to $1.8 million budget hole or risk layoffs, though trustees stressed they want to avoid that.

"We need to make some adjustments, and no wants to eliminate a police officer. They're much too vital to the community and everyone that's a part of it," Trustee Karen Mills said.

Finance Director Michael DuCharme reiterated the sour financial picture. Though U.S. housing prices finally posted an increase in the second quarter overall, Hoffman Estates has yet to see that.

"I wish I could" offer some good news, DuCharme said.

A village memo detailed sagging sales tax revenues, which fell short of projections by $1.4 million. DuCharme hoped the federal government's Cash for Clunkers auto program would help the village's dealerships.

Firefighters union President Dean Slater said the union submitted a cost-reduction plan that would save the village more than the requested $400,000 and prevent the four to six proposed layoffs to his department. Police have been threatened with five layoffs.

"It's just a matter of what their response to our proposal is," Slater said.

Trustee Cary Collins, among those who said he hopes to avoid layoffs, also defended Mayor Bill McLeod's salary, which nearly doubled this year to $33,380. Union officials have called that raise questionable when they're threatened with layoffs.

"Quite frankly, I know the number of hours he puts in," Collins said. "I would never want his job. He almost works as hard as a lawyer."

The latter part of that statement was a joke; Collins himself in a lawyer. But the village board also showed their appreciation for a lawyer's work on Monday. They voted to increase Village Attorney Art Janura's hourly wage to $192. Janura said the raise was for the additional work his office has been doing in connection to the Sears Centre acquisition.