Hoffman extends expiration of police, fire eligibility

The Hoffman Estates village board on Monday voted to extend the expiration dates for eligibility lists of prospective police officers and firefighters, describing the action as a cost-cutting move.

Village officials said it costs $35,000 to administer the police test and $60,000 for the fire department's.

The departments periodically administer the tests to draw applicants interested in entry-level police and fire jobs.

The tests include a physical portion and an electronically graded written test. The costs also include advertising the time and location of the exams.

Village staff said it's preferable to test every two years.

When there's a job opening, the department refers to the list to contact potential new employees.

When the list expires, the departments again conduct testing to allow new applicants a chance at a job. A village memo said there are no plans to add any new police or fire jobs in the coming fiscal year.

The village board unanimously approved extending the current police list expiration by one year to Nov. 12, 2011. They also extended the fire list to an April 4, 2013, expiration date. There are 32 names on the police list, and 94 names on the fire list.

Firefighter Union President Dean Slater wasn't happy with the move, as the current list already is outdated, he said.

"We're missing on a lot of good candidates," Slater said. "I mean, they're people that come back from the military, there's candidates that have been laid off from other departments that could be our top candidates that we're potentially missing."

Slater said there were more than 700 prospective firefighters who showed up to the last round of testing. The demand for government jobs has increased as the economy has soured, due to perceived stability and the retirement plan.

Slater said the fire department could save money by making the job search process more efficient.

In the past village staff has wanted to interview all candidates, he said, but only need to interview applicants with the highest test scores.

"If you revise the way you do business, you will save money," he said.

The police department laid off four officers at the start of the year. The fire department avoided layoffs when they agreed to pay cuts. Some firefighters will be offered buyouts this year, just as former Hoffman Estates Police Chief Clinton Herdegen agreed to in August. Herdegen's last day on the job was Friday, but he'll take over as chief of the Libertyville Police Department.

Nine other employees took buyouts, including, Public Works Director Ken Hari, whose last day is Dec. 1, and Deputy Fire Chief John Mayer, who will leave the department on Dec. 31.