Bartlett might raise taxes to borrow $16.2M for new police station

Bartlett trustees likely will decide in November whether the village should raise taxes to borrow $16.2 million to construct a new police station.

The current 22,000-square-foot station at 228 S. Main St. is more than 20 years old and the department has outgrown the space, officials said.

According to the proposal, the work would be done in two phases, said Deputy Police Chief of Operations Kevin Ulrich. Part of the existing building would be torn down and the addition's first phase would be built.

Once phase one is complete, operations would move to the addition, the rest of the existing building would be torn down, and the second phase of the addition would be completed.

The project - which could nearly double the size of the station - would mean a larger evidence storage area with lockers and a bigger training room, and will relieve the currently overcrowded offices, according to village documents.

Bartlett is working with Itasca-based Williams Architects on the project, and proposed renderings were presented at Tuesday's village board meeting.

Should the village approve the proposal, paying off the debt would mean an average annual tax increase of $88.76 for the owner of a $250,000 home.

The department currently employs 77, but that's expected to grow to 105 in the next three decades.

Village trustees could vote on the proposal as soon as their Nov. 1 board meeting. If the plans are approved, trustees will authorize the issuance of bonds that night.

Because Bartlett has home rule, the village does not need voter approval to issue the bonds.