Lakewood Village Trustee Paul Serwatka suggests residents might be interested in a proposal to have Crystal Lake Police answer calls from 2 to 6 AM with money saved to be used to plan a new village hall in this email:
I wanted to take a minute to call your attention to an agenda item that will be voted on at tomorrow’s (Tuesday, May24th) village board meeting.
The meeting will be held at 7pm at Redtail Golf Club.
“Agenda Item for Discussion #7” – is a motion to approve an agreement for police calls between our village and Crystal Lake Police Dept. (Details can be found on page 51 of the board packet at the link below)
The issue at hand is, essentially, this:
Two of Lakewood’s police officers have recently retired.
Rather than replacing these officers with new hires (full or part-time), it is being proposed that the village forgo hiring replacements and instead, have no police officers on staff between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m..
During these hours, any calls for police would go to Crystal Lake Police and CLPD would in turn respond.
While, the public safety concerns of having no police patrol in the middle of the night are obvious. This proposal opens the door to many other discussions as well.
There is no one more fiscally conservative on this village board than I.
That being said, when it comes to Public Safety, particularly Emergency Medical, Police and Fire Service, I believe fiscal issues must take a back seat to any legitimate safety concerns.
On top of these concerns, and perhaps even most troubling, to me, is that it is being proposed and “strongly recommended” that any funds saved by not filling these police patrol positions, be directed toward paying for the designing of the NEW VILLAGE HALL.
Lakewood Village Hall
I encourage you to attend tomorrow’s meeting (Tuesday, May 24th at 7pm. at Redtail Golf Club). If you are not able to attend, please feel free to share any thoughts, questions or concerns with me and I will be sure to voice them at the meeting.
I love how money and/or savings are “found” when somebody wants something.
Why not have CL patrol AND no new village hall and pass on the savings to the taxpayers?
Wow, that would just make too much sense huh?!?
Absolutely, Jim!
Is CLPD doing this for free?
Ok.
So its $80 k first year.
I suppose most “functions” within Lakewood will be over by 2am so all’s good with the Ascendency and they get their new playhouse.
more smith BS
We all know how well the Lakewood Fire Department split went over.
The changes from CL, to private to Woodstock rural and back to CL, not to mention over $1M in costs for litigation, was another example of the fiscal mismanagement of Smith and Peterson.
Why would the Police split be any different?
And speaking of Peterson, why is she still here?
I guess the money is good and Smith lets her do what she wants.
Lord knows she is not bringing any commercial sales tax revenue into the Village.
As I recall, this new village hall was one of Serwatka’s campaign platform issues.
I’m sure he will do what he can to prevent this, but he is but 1 of 7 on a board of liberal minded, government growing elitists.
If they don’t clean house on that village board soon, Lakewood will soon be a mini-Schaumburg.
just sell the village to crystal lake and end the BS
But Crystal Lake might force us to have street lights and sidewalks.
I hope not.
If we get over 5,000 people, state law requires us to have a police pension fund, rather than having our police officers in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.
And if any of those residence that bring us to that 5000 are within the TIF Dist, Lakewood property taxes will sky rocket to cover the $8700 per student/per year, cost of schooling as per the horrendous intergovernmental agreement with Woodstock D-200 that this board agreed to…
Gonna be an interesting board meeting.
Why dies Paul serwatka always have to post comments on the internet.
Makes him look childish and slimey.
paul ,since you mentioned TIF,still never received an answer why those first two properties to the west of autumn ridge disappeared off that TIF map1
shs – can you send me an email @ Paul@LakewoodTaxFighter.com so I get some info from you?
Henry, please elaborate.
Not sure what you mean by “post comments on the internet”, but, if your referring to this blog…
This was an email to Lakewood residents.
The administrator of this blog happens to be a Lakewood resident and often shares informative emails, just as he shares the president’s newsletters..
Why would you depict open/ transparent government as being “childish and slimy”?
Does transparency somehow threaten you?
When anonymous people post it does no one any good. You see the people who post here – with their real names – with real ideas get criticized by the outgoing regime. Serwatka, Tirio, Walkup, Vetter, Weinhammer, and Radke come to mind. We get crushed by viscous, anonymous cowards who fear losing what they have already lost.
It isn’t over yet. There is a long way to go.
The pablos and Henrys are out there. McHenry County’s most notorious Woodstock Resident, she (or he) is out there. And my favorite – Dirty Gasser – its out there. All bring nothing but fear and hate to the fight while we bring ideas and dangerous liberty to the people.
People who are leading this are nowhere perfect but it takes a lot fortitude to put yourself out there… and the people of Lakewood do like Paul… a lot. Last time I checked he was, and still is, the top vote getter in the history of Lakewood… as a write in.
That friends – is a mandate. That friends – is THE standard.
So we will continue to do what must be done and openly approach you all here on this blog, facebook, twitter, and other means and the anonymous cowards will continue the backroom phone calls and catty emails. It is ok.
For Paul’s power in Lakewood does not come from the political power brokers, but from the people.
Much like that jerk they call GAS BAG. That guy… I tell ya.
Keep doin your thing Gasser. Inside baseball may not appreciate you but the public does, even if they don’t know your name.
The cowards will chide you, but their words should only serve as a beacon to let you know you are rowing in the right direction
And Henry, Paul posts to keep you informed. Don’t read it if you don’t like it
I am just curious about this –
Does Lakewood really need a new Village Hall?
NO, work with what you have, make things go farther just like us blue collar working bas****s have had to do!!
In my uneducated opinion.the good guys won this one.