Mount Prospect police chief requests $1 million budget hike

Mount Prospect Police Chief Tim Janowick is asking the village board for a $1 million increase in his 2016 budget with about $200,000 of that going to hire two full-time and two part-time community service officers.

At Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting, Janowick said the 5.6 percent increase he is requesting - which would bring his budget to about $17.5 million - is being driven largely by personnel costs outside of the department's direct control.

Besides the roughly $200,000 for new personnel (which includes benefits), Janowick broke down his request:

• $308,000 for police pension contributions, determined by an actuary hired by the Finance Department.

• $260,000 to cover salary increases for unionized employees.

• A $55,000 increase in workman's compensation costs, the result of a Finance Department analysis.

• $76,900 for additional vehicle payments, as determined by the Public Works fleet manager.

Outside of personnel costs (and the vehicles), the police department's budget rose only $49,711, Janowick added.

The new civilian positions he is proposing would enforce parking regulations and handle private property crashes and other minor service calls.

Janowick said five community service officers were laid off with the 2011 budget cuts, and now a sworn police officer is staffing the police desk on the midnight shift, instead of being out on the street.

The two new full-timers would man the desk on the midnight shift, while the two part-timers would focus on parking enforcement, particularly in the timed spaces and in the commuter lots, he said.

Since 2011, parking enforcement has been sporadic at best, he said.

"In my contacts with the community, especially in the downtown area with our business community, there has been great concern over parking enforcement," Janowick said.

Trustee Richard Rogers said he was surprised at the size of the department's request, given that other departments are trying to keep to a 2 percent budget increase.

"I understand your needs might be greater right now, but I would like to get more detail," he said.

Trustee Steven Polit said the additional parking enforcement should be a boon to the business community, since parking spaces that could be used by shoppers are often taken by commuters avoiding the fees at the commuter lots.

"There is a lot of revenue that is lost through the fact that people can't park in front of a business to go there and create sales tax revenue," he said.