Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to abate about $1.3 million from their property tax levy for the current fiscal year, keeping the requested levy similar to last year.
The Orland Fire Protection District will be requesting a similar amount of property tax money compared to last year, after trustees voted unanimously to abate $1,321,600 from the upcoming property tax levy. The board approved the abatement with a 3-0 vote. Trustees Blair Rhode and Chris Evoy were not at Tuesday’s meeting. In December, district trustees passed a tax levy of about $28.4 million total, which included about $1.1 million to cover debt service. The abatement brings the total requested levy to about $27.1 million, which is closer to Orland Fire District Finance Director Kerry Sullivan’s levy estimate back in November 2012. “The district has now elected to say we don’t need the amount we needed in December,” Sullivan said. …
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Patch's guide to the 2013 Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees race, where five candidates are going after two open seats.
Two current trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District are seeking re-election against three other candidates on April 9. Incumbent trustees Martin McGill and Glenn Michalek are campaigning for another term against challengers John Brudnak, Jayne Schirmacher and Larry Moran. Early voting begins March 25. Election Day is April 9. When we get closer to the days when you can cast a ballot, we'll post links to biographical and issue-based information about the trustee candidates. Recent articles relevant to the Orland Fire Protection District: Join Patch! Create a free user account and join the discussion about the future of the area. You'll be subscribed to the free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts. Orland Park / Palos / Tinley …
Monday, March 4, 2013
Martin McGill is running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in the April 2013 election.
Why are you seeking office? There still is some unfinished business I think we can do. My main reason is I am 100 percent against privatization of ambulances and 110 percent against closing any of the fire stations. We have resources that we haven’t started to tap into. One is the training facility. We’ve talked about setting up EMS classes with other departments and districts and it hasn’t developed the way I’d like to see it. We have one of the better maintenance facilities and we could take revenue in from that by taking work from other fire districts and departments instead of them sending out to others contractors. Thee board has talked about cutting money and only way to do so is to cut firehouses. We’re not paying taxes for fly by …
Glenn Michalek is running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in the April 2013 election.
Why are you seeking office? To ensure that the district doesn’t end up like other districts and fire departments in the states that are closed or have had services drastically cut. What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? To maintain excellent fire and EMS service while staying with the budget. What sets you apart from other candidates? 31 year career Firefighter/Officer experience along with 2 years as Commissioner, 6 years as Trustee, certified by NIAFPD, and serving on the Pension board. I understand the functions of day-to-day operations along with the special divisions with the department and also with the equipment used to accomplish those tasks. I also have taken classes in handling district budgets, …
Jayne Schirmacher is running for the Orland Fire Protection Board of Trustees in the April 2013 election.
Why are you seeking office? I am seeking to be elected to the OFPD because I feel that I will help serve the taxpayers of our community in a positive manner. We need public transparency and accountability with respect to the tax spending. I feel a change with some new additions to the Fire Board will be helpful to our community. What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? Our entire community has been affected by the recent state of our economy. I want to work to see that we are spending our tax dollars where needed to protect our community. I will listen and research the issues to make and intelligent for our taxpayers. What sets you apart from other candidates? I can’t speak for the other candidates. I only know…
Larry Moran is running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in the April 2013 election.
Why are you seeking office? I have genuine concerns about the future of the district. I have been attending board meetings for more than two years, along with researching the operational and financial status of the District. I am new to politics. This position, for me, means that people will get an unfiltered version of what is going on in their District. I believe that decisions made by the current board have unnecessarily created future financial consequences that will require a reduction in service or an increase in property tax. Much akin to a toddler crossing LaGrange Road, I cannot sit idly by hoping for the best and armchair quarterback what could have been done. I have been in the fire service for twenty-one years, working in …
John Brudnak is running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in the April 2013 election.
Why are you seeking office? To continue the fiscal path that the new members of the Trustee board have taken and to add fresh ideas on how to make the OFPD run in a more fiscally conscious way. What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? My single most important priority is fiscal responsibility. The district needs to show continuous improvement in its efforts to account for taxpayer money. As stated above, I think the new members of the present board have shown responsible management, but I do believe that there is more ground to gain. I can add additional oversight measures and feel that my experience will further enhance the current procedures. What sets you apart from other candidates? What sets me apart from …
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The business temporarily closed in response to the fire Sunday afternoon, but has since reopened.
Firefighters extinguished a fire Sunday afternoon at Orland Park Laundromat. The fire began at 1:40 p.m. in a dryer in the Jefferson Avenue facility and spread from there, according to reports from the Orland Fire Protection District. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No one was injured during the incident, although the fire resulted in moderate property damage. A team of 16 firefighters was dispatched to the scene and extinguished the fire within 15 minutes. The laundromat closed during fire operations, but has since re-opened. There are plenty of ways to keep up on local news:
41.630176
-87.855138
Orland Park Laundromat
14315 Jefferson Ave, Orland Park, IL
/articles/dryer-fire-at-orland-park-laundromat
282466
/locations/8990764
In the last week you may have missed stories about school lockdowns, Orland Park’s aging population, an invaded home, the state of the village, LaGrange Road widening, sequestration and others in Orland Park and nearby.
MONDAY Orland Fire Seeking to Lower Heart Attack Deaths Through AEDs and CPR Training Orland Fire Protection District supervisors are building a program to increase the number of Automated External Defibrillators throughout the community, and get more people trained in CPR to help sudden cardiac arrest victims. Business Comings & Goings: Chamberlain College of Nursing Opens Tinley Campus Firehouse Subs holds grand opening • Blackberry's reopens in Tinley • Vera Bradley eyes Orland store. TUESDAY Update: Lockdown Lifted at D230, D140 Schools after Search for Bank Robber A police search for a robbery suspect forced a soft lockdown in area schools Tuesday, following a bank robbery at 167th and 80th Avenue. Orland Park, Older than Your Average…
Friday, March 1, 2013
An Orland Fire Protection District lieutenant claims that she was treated unfairly, with hostility and requests for intervention were ignored, though a fire district attorney said a state human rights commission previously dismissed the same claims.
A lieutenant within the Orland Fire Protection District has named three current, and one former, battalion chiefs in a six-count lawsuit, claiming she was discriminated against and subjected to a “hostile work environment,” according to the suit. Lt. Terri Simone-Lorenz, who has served with the district since 1994, filed the lawsuit in Oct. 2012. On Tuesday, the suit was amended to include as defendants Orland Fire battalion chiefs Raymond Kay, Nick Cinquepalmi, Michael Schofield and Steve Smith, who retired from the district in 2011. Within the lawsuit, Simone-Lorenz claims that pornographic materials were left in a district women’s bathroom, derogatory comments were made about women, she was set up to fail repeatedly in drills, was …
Larry Moran
10:39 pm on Saturday, March 30, 2013
You're not missing it PYT... the transparency ended when people were able to find out for themselves that the current board has been crying wolf about the excessive spending. I haven't seen any transparency in about a year. more ›