Mayor’s Message for Friday, November 8, 2024

Dear Residents,

Town Hall Meeting
The Area N issue continues to be one of concern for many of our residents and to help ensure everyone is informed about the facts, we have set up a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, November 20^th at 7:15pm at Village Hall.

We have engaged two of our consultants, John Houseal of Houseal Lavigne, who wrote our Comprehensive Plan, as well as Tom Burney of Burney Law, our zoning attorney who works with the Village on several issues, to both be in attendance.

As many of you know, we have been served with a lawsuit for disconnection into Cook County regarding Area N, the property at the northwest end of South Barrington (near where Bartlett and Rte. 59 merge). We will discuss these issues as well as anything else you would like to bring up. I hope you will attend.

Please RSVP at mayor@southbarrington.org for this meeting so that we can make sure we have the proper space for the number of people who may want to attend.

South Barrington government

I have recently been asked several questions about how South Barrington government works and about the hiring procedure in our police department.

Here is some information on those two subjects.

The Village of South Barrington is a local municipality governed by a full-time Village President/Mayor and six Village Trustees who are all elected unpaid positions within the Village and make up the Village Board. Additionally, the Village includes a Village Clerk which is also an elected position. The Village Clerk is assisted by Deputy Clerks. The Village Clerk is the only elected paid position. Village staff consists of a Village Administrator, Chief of Police, Director of Finance, Building Officer, Building and Engineering Assistant, Code Enforcement officer, Executive Assistant, Accounting Assistant, Administrative Assistant, and Operations Assistant. There are also a variety of consultants that are hired for stable day-to-day operations such as Legal and Engineering, and other consultants hired depending on current projects and needs.

Several committees have been formed to include both elected officials and staff which make recommendations to the Village Board as a whole to conduct Village business.

The selection process to become a police officer in South Barrington is very strict. The questions that I have been asked refer to hiring practices and how we select officers. It is so comprehensive that in fact, in the last two (2) years we have had 54 candidates apply with only seven (7) candidates selected to become one of our officers. To apply, the candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university OR an Honorable Discharge from the United States Military. The process begins with the candidate completing the following:

• Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ)
• Public Safety Self-Assessment (PSSA)
• Department Employment Application
• Written/Video test through the National Testing Network

They are graded in three areas reading, writing, and video scenarios. Next, is an interview with the Police Commission. If they pass, the candidate will be required to complete an index and then an interview with the Mayor and Chief of Police. If the candidate is recommended to move forward in the process, the candidate will complete the following:

• Polygraph exam
• Extensive Background Investigation
• Psychological Examination
• Physical Examination

All of these exams are completed by an outside trusted organization. The candidate must pass each phase to move on in the process. If the candidate is successful, they will spend the next 16 weeks at the police academy. After the candidate graduates, they begin a three (3) month field training program. Once the candidate is released to solo patrol, they must successfully complete an 18-month probationary period to be retained as a Full-Time Police Officer. Our police department remains one of the best in Chicagoland.

We have hired police officers from other departments that are referred to as lateral candidates. The process is the same except they do not take the initial written examination through the National Testing Network, and they do not attend the police academy. I hope that this answers your questions.

Next Board Meeting to Honor Veterans

Our next Village Board Meeting is on Thursday, November 14 at 7:00 pm and in observance of Veterans Day, we will be approving a Resolution honoring the service of our local veterans. I encourage all local Veterans to attend and if any Veteran would like to speak about their experience serving our country, we would welcome you to share your story. We are forever in your debt and thank you for your courage and sacrifice in protecting the freedom of the United States of America.

Thank You, Veterans

This Veteran’s Day, and every day, we are grateful for our nation’s veterans for their sacrifice, bravery, and service in the name of freedom for America and elsewhere in the world. Special appreciation to our many South Barrington veterans for their sacrifice, valor, and dedication to our country.

Barrington Giving Day

We are very excited to be participating in the Barrington Giving Day Donation Drive again this year. Please consider donating gently used coats, boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, blankets, books, toys, and unopened diapers and wipes. All donations go to School District 220 families in need.

A red donation box is in the lobby of Village Hall. We are able to accept donations on weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm through Friday, December 6. Your generous support of this project made it a big success last year. We hope to build on that success this year and make the 2024 drive even better. Thank you for your support of those in need this holiday season!

Please note that The Arboretum of South Barrington will have their tree lighting ceremony with a “world class light & music show” two Saturdays from now on November 16 at 5 pm. It should be a very enjoyable evening.

As always, I’m here to listen to your thoughts and concerns. Feel free to email me at pmccombie@southbarrington.org, or use the anonymous comment boxes located in the lobbies of Village Hall and the Police Department. I review these messages privately and value your input.

Enjoy the weekend!

Warm regards,

Paula McCombie
Mayor

Read more of my Friday message by clicking here.

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