From excerpts of the Chicago Tribune online:
In recent weeks, Mundelein has made a significant shift in its administrative structure by promoting its police chief to oversee both the police and fire departments, a move that could signal further governmental consolidations down the line. Village Administrator John Lobaito mentioned that this new arrangement will last for 12 to 24 months as a trial period while Mundelein explores resource-sharing opportunities with neighboring towns. Countryside Fire Protection District has shown interest in joining this initiative, as stated by Countryside Fire Chief Jeff Steingart.
"When everything began with Mundelein, we opened the door to take a look and start a conversation about how we can collaborate in the future," Steingart explained. "It's still very early days, and they're reviewing all their options, but once things stabilize, our leaders will sit down together."
Steingart noted that his interest stems from Senate Resolution 760, which passed unanimously in the Illinois Senate on July 15. This resolution encourages Lake County's local governments to consolidate in order to save taxpayer money and established a committee to explore these possibilities, submitting a report by October 2016.
Mundelein's leadership change came after more than three months without a fire chief or deputy fire chief. Tim Sashko retired due to a recurring neck injury in late April, and shortly after, Deputy Chief Tim Leidig accepted a role in West Chicago, leaving Mundelein without a top fire administrator.
On August 10, village trustees introduced a new position, the public safety director, to manage both the police and fire departments. Police Chief Eric Guenther was promoted to this role, effectively reducing the administrative staff by one.
"This isn't necessarily the final plan," Lobaito remarked before the vote on August 10. "It's meant to be temporary until we decide it doesn't work or until we find a better solution."
Battalion Chief Ben Yoder, who had been handling administrative duties for the past three months, was promoted to deputy fire chief at the same meeting. A series of internal promotions will result in one firefighter vacancy, but Mundelein will not hire any new personnel for either department.
The ordinance passed by Mundelein explicitly states that the positions of fire chief and police chief will remain vacant in case trustees wish to return to the previous administrative setup.
In the interim, Mundelein will save over $135,000 by not replacing Sashko. According to payroll records, Sashko's final salary was $147,113 annually, while Guenther's new stipend is $971.66 per month. Guenther's police chief salary is $153,340, representing a 7.6% annual increase.
Countryside already shares a substantial amount of coverage with Mundelein's fire department, so adding more shared administrators shouldn't pose significant challenges. The Countryside fire station on Midlothian Road is technically located within Mundelein, though the fire district does not cover the surrounding Mundelein homes and shopping centers.
Countryside is an independent taxing body providing fire services to around 35,000 residents across a 24-square-mile area, including parts of Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Indian Creek, Kildeer, and unincorporated regions.
Back in the mid-1990s, when Mundelein's borders edged closer to Countryside's Midlothian Road fire station, representatives from both entities agreed: Countryside would assist Mundelein along Midlothian Road, and Mundelein would help Countryside along Route 45.
"I believe we can aim for full consolidation, not just between Mundelein and Countryside but with other agencies too," Steingart suggested. "That's a long-term goal since there are many factors involved, like needing voter approval. However, we all want to save lives, and many of us already help each other."
Steingart highlighted that consolidation is already underway in the dispatch sector. For several years now, the Vernon Hills police department has managed a dispatch center coordinating efforts for Countryside, Lincolnshire police, and Libertyville police and fire services.
This setup allows each municipality to cut costs while enhancing communication during emergencies. A study is currently underway to determine whether an even larger merger is feasible. Such consolidation would enable better purchasing power, expand entry-level jobs in a reorganized framework, and improve service without increasing taxes.
Vernon Hills Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer, who oversees the dispatch center, elaborated on this topic during a July 7 village board meeting. He mentioned that the Lake County Emergency Telephone System Board is initiating a $350,000 study on the potential for a countywide dispatch center.
The Emergency Telephone System Board also contributed $2 million in August 2014 toward a new set of radio towers in Lake County, which are owned by Illinois but designed and operated by Motorola, according to Lake County Board minutes. Lake County covered the remaining $7 million to install the new technology because the existing radios used by sheriffs and public works crews are outdated.
Once these towers are operational, anyone equipped with the new handheld radios and dispatch center gear can utilize the network, Lt. Mike Gregory of the Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
The Vernon Hills dispatch center is already leveraging this capability.
On July 7, Fleischhauer persuaded Vernon Hills trustees to back the study for a unified county dispatch center and approve switching the current dispatch center onto the Motorola network.
Previously, Vernon Hills relied on a small collection of radio towers owned and maintained by several local municipalities. Now, the cost of the radio network is shared among state agencies and an increasing number of Illinois municipalities.
Fleischhauer mentioned that if a countywide dispatch center is constructed, teams in Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, and Countryside will already possess the necessary radios.
Mundelein's police and fire services are not part of the consolidated dispatch center in Vernon Hills, and officials there are still evaluating their options regarding radio networks.
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