Arlington Heights mayor touts lower crime rate, budget

Both crime and the village's proposed budget are down in Arlington Heights, Village President Arlene J. Mulder told about 80 residents of The Moorings Wednesday.

This was the first 2012 State of the Village message for Mulder, who traditionally speaks at that community, Lutheran Home and the local Rotary Club.

She acknowledged an announcement by Police Chief Gerald Mourning that crime had dropped 5 percent to an all-time low in 2011.

“Proactive efforts have included the targeting of specific crime categories such as burglary from motor vehicles. These efforts, including crime analysis and surveillance activities, have resulted in increased arrests,” Mourning said in a news release.

He also credited community education and support.

Mulder said the police department deserves praise.

“The police department has worked so hard and is very, very involved,” said Mulder. “They work at schools and the senior center.

“It's fantastic that we live in a safe place.”

The proposed $137 million budget for the fiscal year that starts May 1 is down 13 percent from the current year thanks to refinancing bonds for the village hall and a fire station, Mulder said.

Arlington Heights' water bills are among the lowest in the Northwest suburbs, and the village should not have the problems of increased rates that neighbors have experienced because eight or nine years remain on a 50-year contract to purchase water from Evanston through the Northwest Water Commission, she said.

Other members of the commission are Buffalo Grove, Palatine and Wheeling.

The emerald ash borer is a huge problem for Arlington Heights, said Mulder, but village officials do not think property taxes from all residents should pay for treatment of the 13,000 parkway trees in the village.

Neighborhoods are banding together to treat their parkway and private trees, and discussions continue about whether there is a way to provide incentives for residents to pay for treatment.

Mulder talked about development, including Arlington Downs, a plan for upscale rental apartments in the shuttered Sheraton Chicago Northwest. Plans also include new buildings with hotels, more apartments and shops on the site at Euclid Avenue and Rohlwing Road.

A benefit of living in Arlington Heights is the Health Services Department, the mayor said. Nurses can administer regular medications, letting hundreds of residents stay in their homes, she said.