PROPERTY TAXES for the uninformed

    Your tax bill is determine by the Board of Trustees (you voted for) from the School districts, Village, and Fire District. The township accessor does not determine your tax bill.   

    Employee contracts for Orland Park schools, village workers and the fire district are in the final stages or have recently been finalized. At this weeks Village board meeting I listened to the Village President specify the adjustments to health care and a 1.95% increase in wages for village workers to the trustee board and those in attendance. Comments were requested and the issue was finished. I think the employee representation and the village President both did a great job.

   Then we have the Fire District. Tuesday night I asked the trustee board to post the specific demands from the union before, the finalization. This is now going to arbitration. It's more evidence of the dysfunctional management running this taxing body that is out of touch with reality. Their "demands" are insane. Wages twice the national average aren't good enough. Our per call costs are twice the national average now and they want to raise that! We have built them a new administration building, a training center, bought 3 new fire trucks, have another ambulance on the way, a useless scuba team, and no one has been lay-ed off or had their hours reduced. But they want more. 30 million dollars a year and that isn't enough. They want another 2 million added to it. The spending is beyond comparison. I sat at the budget meeting this summer and with over 2 million dollars worth of management sitting at that table not one dollar in savings was mentioned. Just more spending requests. It's a mentality stuck in a stupid mindset.

     We have the right by law to referendum for a FIRE DEPARTMENT, like we used to have in OP run by the village board. The FD would have to compete with all village services for every nickle and dime. There would be oversight with spending, finally. We need to do this and end this economic fiasco. We can have the same services but without ridiculous work restrictions that cost millions (5-10) every year that should be going into our local economy or staying with your family. Before you react, learn what these work rules are and what the costs to you are. Then join the support for the new Orland Park Fire Department.