Grayslake, Hainesville extend police deal until 2025

Grayslake trustees have approved their end of a deal to provide police coverage for neighboring Hainesville until 2025.

Village board members voted Tuesday to extend a contract to provide police and emergency dispatching services to Hainesville. Grayslake police began covering Hainesville in 2010 after the town closed its police department.

Hainesville trustees approved the pact on Jan. 23.

The two villages entered into a policing agreement in 2014 that was scheduled to last until 2021. Under that plan, Hainesville's tab was to gradually increase each year at a rate of around 4.5 percent until it was at $928,328 in the final year of the pact.

The new plan will save Hainesville $127,315 over the next three years by freezing its current rate at $864,134 until the 2021-2022 fiscal year. From 2022 to 2025 the rate will increase at a rate of roughly 1.5 percent until topping out at $903,678 during the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

Discussing the plan at a December meeting, Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor said the agreement works for both villages.

"It reflects some of the economic realities for our neighbors, but it also maintains fees that will allow us to provide the high quality of service we've been providing and ensure that we have the security in our neighboring town as well," he said.

Taylor said the villages have a natural connection because much of Hainesville's population attends Grayslake High School and uses Grayslake Park District services.

The police services agreement even got a shout-out from Gov. Bruce Rauner at last year's State of the State address when he was discussing how communities can reduce costs by combining services.

"The communities of Grayslake and Hainesville are leading by example, saving $500,000 a year through sharing services while providing more support to their local police," Rauner said.

Citing cost concerns, Hainesville trustees voted to eliminate the village's 2-year-old police force in 2010 and contracted with Grayslake after receiving bids from three law-enforcement agencies. Police cars now bear the names of both Grayslake and Hainesville.

Before Hainesville tried to have its own police force in 2009, the village was served by Round Lake Park police, but a financial dispute ended the relationship.