Lakemoor will keep police force, cut budget elsewhere

Lakemoor's elected officials Thursday night decided to keep the village police department after mulling whether to contract for patrol service from the Lake County sheriff's office as a possible way to save money.

But to keep the department in the face of a potential $400,000 budget deficit, a sergeant and a patrol officer were dismissed. Village trustees also voted to demote a police sergeant to a patrol job and knocked a clerk from full- to part-time duty.

Lakemoor Village President Todd Weihofen said the moves should save $120,000 to $150,000 annually in an effort to shrink the projected $400,000 shortfall. He said Lakemoor now has seven full-time cops instead of nine, and no part-time officers.

"Everything this board does is in the best interests of the residents," Weihofen said.

Village trustees did not vote on whether to contract with the sheriff's office because that proposal was deleted from Thursday night's agenda just before they agreed on the layoffs and the other police personnel moves.

Other small towns are closing police departments and contracting for patrol service as a way to save cash. Such was the case April 13 when Hainesville Mayor Linda Soto broke a 3-3 village board vote, allowing her to begin negotiating for police service from Grayslake and the Lake County sheriff.

Lakemoor police Chief Michael Marchese said there are significant plans in the works for his department. He said not only will there be organizational changes, but there is a committee studying potential construction of a combination village hall-police building within three years.

"I think their objective is to have a Lakemoor Police Department no matter what," said Marchese, who joined the village as top cop in late February after a 30-year Schaumburg career that included working as an investigative lieutenant.

Hainesville police Chief Wallace Frasier estimated it would have cost $1.1 million to keep the village department for the entire 2010-11 fiscal year that starts Saturday. Frasier, who was let go as Lakemoor's chief in May 2009, said Hainesville needed to move out of a startup mode.

Grayslake is offering complete police service to Hainesville for $711,782 in the new fiscal year. The Lake County sheriff's office proposes charging $791,566 for its complete patrol package.

Elsewhere in Lake County, Highwood considered scrapping its police department in favor of contracting with the sheriff's office in a potential cost-cutting move late last year. The Highwood city council has not acted on the idea.

Police: Grayslake, county both offer service to Hainesville