TAMMS BOARD KEEPS LID ON POLICE EXPENSES

After reconsidering acceptance of a federal grant that would give Tamms, Ill., $159,000 to hire three additional police officers for three years, the Tamms Board of Trustees once again has rejected the offer.

The board's problem with the grant is having to come up with about $40,000 in matching funds over the three years. Tamms, a town of 750 people in Alexander County, isn't rolling in money.

Village board member Carl I. Hileman says the only way the village could come up with the additional money is by raising its rates on sale of natural gas. Ninety-nine percent of Tamms' revenue comes from gas sales, he pointed out. Hileman also raises a legitimate question concerning where the money would come from to pay the additional salaries when the grant money runs out.

The village board revisited the issue after almost half of the town's population signed petitions asking that it do so. The residents rightfully are concerned that they have adequate police protection. They have one full-time and one part-time policemen, and they are on call around the clock when they aren't on duty. In reconsidering the grant, the village board agreed to hire another part-time policeman when Tamms has the money to do so.

The board is acting responsibly by not taking on a debt the treasury can't handle. If the townspeople insist that Tamms accept the grant, then they should be willing to exchange higher gas bills for additional police officers.