LITH to take over Marengo police dispatch

Lake in the Hills police will soon provide dispatch services for the Marengo police department, which is going to layoff its nine dispatchers to cut costs.

The agreement was approved last year and will likely be implemented beginning May 2, police chiefs in Lake in the Hills and Marengo said.

Marengo will pay Lake in the Hills $107,000 per year to take over its dispatch services, said Marengo Acting Police Chief Joe Hallman.

Dropping the Marengo dispatchers — five full-timers and four part-timers — amounts to a savings of $200,000 or more, including phone lines and other associated costs, he said.

“(The dispatchers’) jobs will be terminated, unfortunately,” he said. “It was a very difficult decision for our council. It was a business decision. Obviously we are hurting like any other municipality.”

Thursday night, the Lake in the Hills village board approved hiring a ninth full-time police dispatcher in order to adequately serve Marengo, said Lake in the Hills Chief of Support Services Mary Frake.

The village already has conducted candidate interviews and is in the process of making offers, Frake said. The position has a starting salary of $40,140.

Lake in the Hills police already provides dispatch services for Huntley and Fox River Grove.