Lake Co. Municipal League to discuss consolidating services

Municipalities enrolled in the Lake County Municipal League will meet this week to discuss how villages can combine and consolidate duplicate services in house or between neighboring towns to save money.

Wauconda Village Administrator Dan Quick said consolidation has worked incredibly well in Wauconda after his village merged its building department with the Wauconda Fire Protection District to perform routine inspections.

“The routine inspections are all handled through the fire district, but the technical inspections are done through subcontractors, like we have always done,” said Quick, one of several officials scheduled to make presentations to the group. “It’s been a tremendous success in Wauconda and saved us about $300,000 in salaries annually.”

The village is also in talks with various other municipalities to merge emergency dispatch centers as a way to reduce salary costs, he said.

The Lake County Municipal League meets at 6:30 p.m. at Dock’s Bar and Grill, 313 E. Liberty St., Wauconda.

Antioch Mayor Larry Hanson said communities struggling through the weak economy and declining tax revenues may be able to combine other assets in parks or building departments as a way to save money.

With building permits on the decline, building department personnel have less to do, Hanson said.

“So, by combining building departments across two towns, it could save both municipalities money,” he said. “It’s definitely an option that should be explored.”

Combining billing services, police and fire departments, and police dispatch services with other villages are also avenues to be explored, he said.

“We combine our (emergency) dispatch with Lake Villa and it works out well for us and them,” he said. “These are all things that villages can look at to save money for the taxpayers.”