Homer Glen, which incorporated as a municipality in 2001, does not having its own police department. Rather, the village has paid the Will County sheriff’s department to serve and protect its community within its corporate limits. County officials said the original intergovernmental agreement was authorized in 2001 and renewed most recently in 2007. This would be the first time an outside firm would review financial and operational matters. County Auditor Kevin “Duffy” Blackburn said a third party consultant would provide an objective and fair analysis of the true cost of policing Homer Glen. He said the county plans to choose a consultant that specializes in law enforcement audits to look at all the direct and indirect costs that go into the services provided. Since the consultants would have expertise in evaluating the costs of police services, they can also compare what other counties are doing with what Will County is offering, Blackburn said. He said his office outsourcing the work to a specialized firm would also save money rather than divert members of his staff and the Will County sheriff’s staff on a special project. Blackburn said he is not an expert in law enforcement nuances. Homer Glen last April passed its fiscal year 2025-26 budget, anticipating to pay $5.21 million to the sheriff’s department, which was a 3.75% increase from the previous year, according to the village’s website. County Board member Sherry Newquist, the chair of the Finance Committee, said in a phone interview the analysis will determine if the county is charging appropriately for these services and said it is prudent the county moves forward on the study. If numbers align, it provides a peace of mind, said Newquist, a Steger Democrat. If they don’t, it will help the county make appropriate adjustments. Newquist said Will County taxpayers are not expected to subsidize police services for Homer Glen, so if the county was undercharging the village, other taxpayers would have to contribute to the cost of their policing. The report would also help the village’s officials understand what they are getting for their money, Newquist said. The study is long overdue, board member Julie Berkowicz, a Naperville Republican, said during Thursday’s County Board meeting. “We may very well find that it is costing the county much more money than we are getting in return from the recipient,” said Berkowicz, the vice chair of the Finance Committee. “We have to answer to the taxpayer and make sure that it is being done fairly and accurately.” Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said the terms of the contract with the sheriff’s department are reviewed and renewed each year, and the intergovernmental agreement has worked since its inception. Neitzke-Troike said yearly the agreement is about the same cost because it includes the same officers with the same duties. The sheriff’s department by law cannot make a profit from Homer Glen, and the village only pays for the services it needs, Neitzke-Troike said. She said she is not concerned the price tag for law enforcement will drastically change, but said county officials did not reach out to her to let her know about this analysis. The mayor said she has lost trust in Will County, after the village spent more than 1 1/2 years fighting the county’s plan to widen 143rd Street through town, which residents opposed. The police cost analysis is likely to take a few months to complete and will involve Homer Glen officials, Blackburn said. Board member Steve Balich, a Homer Glen Republican, said it makes sense to do the study. “It is breaking the law if we are overcharging them,” he said. “If we are not … we’re hurting the county. So we need to have that accurate figure.” Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. ...read more read less