Village Board To Virtually Review Proposed 2021 Budget Next Week

Press release from the Village of Arlington Heights:

In preparation for the Village Board’s virtual review of the proposed 2021 Budget on Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, November 10 at 7 p.m., Village staff has provided responses to the following questions submitted by residents pertaining to the proposed budget:

Question: I don't see a separate item for snow and ice removal. At the DEI Listening Sessions, sidewalk impassability after snow was identified as an equity issue. Not only does the village not actively clear sidewalks, but when plows clear roads, additional snow is piled on sidewalks and crosswalks. For people without cars, this necessitates walking on streets, some of them main thoroughfares, to get to shopping, bus stations, etc. The budget should reflect resources for sidewalk accessibility to ensure equity.

Answer: The Village always strives to provide equitable services to ensure ease of residents’ access to amenities within the community. For this reason, the Village does remove snow on sidewalk pathways between commuter parking lots and our train station in our downtown. In addition, the Village created and facilitates a snow shoveling program that connects students and seniors and individuals with disabilities to assist with snow shoveling driveways and walks. The Village does not have the resources to directly provide snow shoveling services on the over 350 miles of sidewalks within our network. Property owners are responsible for the removal of snow on the sidewalks adjacent to their properties, excepting the two programs noted above. The Village also does not have the resources to provide consistent, dependable service to remove snow on the 15 miles of sidewalks adjacent to the Village’s main thoroughfares, though this has been studied in the past. It is estimated that performing this service for just this small portion of our sidewalk system would require approximately dozens of hours of labor and thousands of dollars per occurrence, with multiple occurrences per snow event often required, due to the re-plowing of snow onto the walks. We will continue to help individuals in need connect with volunteers and others who can help.

Question: After reviewing the police departments portion of the budget, I did not see an allotment for body cameras. If I recall, our department decided to pursue a CALEA accreditation instead of body cameras (I hope I’m incorrect). While I believe there is value in accreditation, at the end of the day it is just a shiny gold star That is not required. To hold officers accountable and to have increased transparency, we need body cameras. I don’t think there is any reason to not have body cameras and it should be prioritized especially given the civil unrest in our country.

Answer: The Arlington Heights Police Department is extremely proud of the fact it is recognized as a nationally accredited law enforcement agency. This prestigious status has been maintained since 2008. A decision to continue participation in the CALEA accreditation process did not involve an either-or consideration. Accreditation and the acquisition of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) are two separate issues.

Coincidentally, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released a document titled – Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities. The DOJ has established a credentialing process to certify that Use of Force policies are following Presidential Executive Order No. 13929. Law enforcement agencies that do not certify their respective policy annually will be ineligible for DOJ grant funding. CALEA is in the process of becoming a certifying entity under this new DOJ objective. This will add further value to the Department’s accreditation award.

The Police Department is not opposed to implementing a BWC program. Police administration has been following movement over the past years by Illinois legislators to mandate such a program. Axon has captured a large share of the police technology market. AHPD officers are equipped with an Axon product – Taser, and acquiring a BWC platform from Axon would be a likely scenario. Funding this program is the primary reason for the void. An estimate to begin a BWC program is projected at $261,000. This in not a one-time expense. The platform requires extraordinary storage which is an in-perpetuity cost forecasted at $152,000 annually. A 5-year cost is calculated at $856,000. A related cost will involve many hours of staff time to review, redact and fulfil FOIA or subpoenaed image requests.

AHPD will continue to monitor any congressional or legislative measure that will move law enforcement towards the mandatory use of BWC in the hope that any such action has attached to it direct or grant funding.

Click here to review the Proposed Budget for 2021.

Click here to review Budget Variances by Department (a document listing and explaining budget variances by Department for the proposed 2021 Budget).

This press release was produced by the Village of Arlington Heights. The views expressed here are the author’s own.