Union official says Wheeling may cut 5 police officers

A top Wheeling police union official says the village is considering laying off five officers to cut costs in 2010, which he says could severely impede the police department's ability to fight crime.

Detective John Connolly, president of the Combined Counties Police Association's Wheeling chapter, said the village initially wanted to reopen negotiations on a newly-agreed two-year police contract to prevent layoffs, but later backed off the idea.

In a Nov. 9 letter to Connolly, Acting Village Manager Jon Sfondilis said, "in order to address the continuing deficit issues, concessions are needed from all employees in order to minimize additional cuts in staffing in both public safety and nonpublic safety positions."

The village is facing a $5.3 million budget shortfall in 2010 largely due to shortfalls in sales tax and income tax revenues, and rising operating costs in areas such as employee pensions and health insurance.

"The village requested the union forego any future pay raises, which would be a net saving to the village of about $100,000 or, in lieu of that, that the union would agree to take a bump up to 15 percent (up from 10 percent) in our co-payments for health insurance and a week's furlough, which also would have been a savings of about $100,000," Connolly said.

Connolly said the union agreed to discuss the issue further, but the village soon after pulled concessions off the table.

"Several days later, I received notice from the chief of police indicating that he had been instructed by the village that he needed to eliminate five positions from the department," Connolly said.

Sfondilis said the concessions suggested were merely ideas given to the union to stimulate discussion, and were not actual requests. He would not confirm the exact number of layoffs proposed within the police department.

"We're looking at structural changes throughout the village, of which the police department is a part," Sfondilis said. "Any number was not given to the union."

Connolly said the department is already down three sworn officers due to attrition and may lose an additional four to five officers due to retirement in the near future.

Wheeling presently has 65 sworn police officers - police chief, deputy police chief, three commanders, eight sergeants and the remaining patrol officers.

"If we add the five layoffs, by next year sometime, this department could be 13 people down," Connolly said. "Our real concern is given the degree of crime that we have in this town, if we go to those numbers, we're not going to be an efficient police force able to secure the village."

Sfondilis called Connolly's comment about layoffs hurting public safety "irresponsible."

"Obviously, we are working toward what's best for the employees and the citizens," Sfondilis said. "I think it would subvert the process to discuss any of that in such a public forum."

The final number of layoffs of village government employees in all areas could be higher than the earlier projected 10 positions, Sfondilis said.

The village board is expected to approve the fiscal year 2010 budget at its Dec. 21 board meeting. Yet all layoffs may not be decided by then, he added.