Does hotel closing mean layoffs for Arlington Hts. police and fire?

The recent closing of the Sheraton Chicago Northwest hotel could lead to layoffs in the Arlington Heights police and fire departments, according to one village trustee.

The unexpected loss of about $400,000 in taxes - the village's estimate if the hotel is closed for a year - means cuts the board thought were off the table might have to be considered, said Trustee Joseph Farwell.

Farwell made his comments at Monday night's board meeting. While he didn't get much reaction then, on Tuesday, he said other trustees appreciated his speaking out because they don't want any cuts to be a surprise.

On Tuesday, however, Village President Arlene Mulder said only that the board must "relook at everything."

Before the Sheraton closed in December, the village was already struggling to overcome a $5.5 million deficit in the current fiscal year and as much as $8.1 million in the next. Drops in sales and income taxes were cited as a chief cause.

To address this, the village has decided to cut 25 positions, about half from layoffs, and will raise the property tax levy 5.7 percent. The board also initiated a 3 percent utility tax and raised the local sales tax by one-quarter of 1 percentage point.

Of the staff cuts, the only ones affecting the police department involved ending a drug prevention program in the schools and transferring those two officers to patrol duties.

In the fire department three vacancies will be held open at least until the fiscal situation is clearer.

Mulder, meanwhile, said she does not foresee any more tax or fee hikes and said a brighter economy and increased business in town would provide the only additional revenue.

But the loss of the Sheraton "might mean cutting employees in every department including police and fire," Farwell said Tuesday.

Even so, "I think we can cut without hurting public safety," said the trustee, acknowledging that public safety is a "very basic, essential service."

Farwell added that in many communities police and fire unions have made concessions, but this has not happened in Arlington Heights.

Bill Kidd, president of Local 3105 of the International Association of Firefighters, said Arlington Heights has asked for concessions.

"We are still working on it," he said. "We don't negotiate in public."

The public works department will probably not have layoffs because it has been cut "severely" over the years, said Farwell. Village Manager Bill Dixon said those cuts extend back over the last five years.

While the current police department cuts involve leaving two vacancies open rather than layoffs, they do mean a loss in the number of sworn personnel, said Tom Henderson, vice president of the Arlington Heights Patrol Officers Association. He said a commander's vacancy has also not been filled.

Both Henderson and Kidd said police officers and firefighters will fulfill their sworn duty no matter how many cuts are made.

"If they start cutting police and fire positions the public is going to suffer," said Kidd. "And police officers and firefighters will have more risk of injury when they're trying to do more work with less people."

Police officers and firefighters are the village's only unionized employees.

The contracts give the village has the right to lay off union members by seniority, said Robin Ward, assistant village attorney.