Orland Fire Protection District: Who's Been Fired, Who's Been Hired and Other Changes the Last 11 Weeks

A rundown of events and decisions made since the April 5 election, when new trustees were elected to the district's board of trustees.

Is the sun rising or setting over the Orland Fire Protection District? Newcomers Christopher Evoy and Blair Rhode joined the board in April, pledging to closely examine the district's finances. Current trustee James Hickey was then elected board president and pledged to do the same. But in just under three months, the new district board has come under persistent scrutiny for its decisions. Trustees have disagreed on reducing staff and changing the makeup of the fire board of commissioners, who are involved in the hiring, discipline and training of firefighters. Hickey contends that he is taking the district in a new direction, a business direction, with an acute eye on finances and patronage. In a release, the district said it has so far …

•  59 Comments
• Photos (1)

VIDEO: Fire District Gives Back $1.3 Million To Homeowners

Wednesday's early morning meeting was not without its sparks. A local and vocal opponent of the fire district confronted the board.

Orland Fire Protection District officials on Wednesday approved the abatement of $1.3 million, making this the third consecutive year that district officials returned taxpayer money. The average homeowner living within the fire district can expect about a $100 credit on the second installment of this year’s tax bill, finance director Kerry Sullivan said. “We asked for dollars, you gave us the dollars,” board secretary Bob Cacciato said. “We’re giving them back to you…We’re not going to put somebody in the middle to make money off of it.” Sullivan said the fire district would have made the decision earlier were it not for the county. “Property taxes were late this year, so we wanted to make sure we had the funds available…before …

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)

Ben Feldheim

5:56 pm on Sunday, March 27, 2011

Robert, in case you are curious the link below will take you to a fire district story in which no mention of Cervenka is made, and within that story are links to two other fire district stories in which he is not mentioned either. http://orlandpark.patch.com/articles/fire-district-to-consider-property-tax-refunds Furthermore, we have added video of discourse during other board meeting, not just …   more ›

Rear View

In This Rear View: Maher Talks Exit, Paczkis and Fire Issues

We look back at a week where Patrick Maher spoke after leaving the Orland Fire Protection District race, more social media was spawned from House Bill 1886 and Bernard Murphy was honored for 26 years in the trustee hot seat.

Rear View is going to look a little different this time as we recap articles day by day. Let us know in the comments how it compares to our past format. After backing down on HB1886, Rita told District 146 board president Dean Casper that he is far from finished with the idea of combining school districts across Illinois. Rita will not be at the Monday evening Town Hall Meeting at Century Middle School, nor will he send a representative or even email a statement to be read. In brighter news, the Cluster Moms helped a whole slew of parents save money at one of their large sales of clothes, shoes, games, books, toys, strollers and many other items, especially for parents with twins, triplets and so on.  Twenty-six years is a long time to do …

• Photos (1)

As Maher Leaves, He Calls Orland the Envy of Fire Districts

In his own words, the Orland Fire Protection District board president talks about not running for re-election and more.

Last week, Orland Fire Protection District board president Patrick Maher announced he would not run for re-election. Given that the fire district's election was only a month away and that Maher had completed this publication’s candidate questionnaire, the announcent seemed sudden and unexpected. Patch spoke Tuesday with Maher about his departure from politics, his time spent at the district, his future and his critics’ biggest complaints. He has spent eight years atop the state’s largest fire protection district, and there will certainty be no shortage of opinions regarding how well or poor a job he has done while there. At the very least, the words below are and will always be Maher's own. JM: You gave us a few reasons for not running for…

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Robert

6:41 pm on Friday, April 1, 2011

I am glad we are in good condition with our current boards decisions and the people are behind them. It is tough for firefighters, police teachers, military ..etc.. when the public they serve do not back them. I think they know that most of us do.   more ›

Rear View

In This Rear View: Consolidation Fury and That Little Election Coming Up

We look back at a week where House Bill 1886 sparked upset, enrollment dropped and a surprising election twist.

The four heavily contested races coming up for the April 5th Consolidated Election took a momentary back seat this past week, as a not-so-modest proposal sparked ire among parents, school board members and administrators. Yet, by the end of the week the elections were back at the forefront. We start off this week’s Rear View with a mutant hybrid category, in light of the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn choosing to start rebuilding the state’s school management – whether anyone wants it or not. And remember, Illinois house bills appear just as bizarre as they are in reality. Schools/Government  Election 2011 Crime Features Take comfort in the knowledge that at some point soon, the snow will stop. It has to.      

• Photos (1)

Patrick Maher Drops Out of Fire District Race

After eight years on the Orland Fire Protection District Board, Maher said he wants to focus on family.

Patrick Maher, president of the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees, has decided not to run for re-election. Citing a desire to “focus on my family and their needs,” Maher announced Friday that he is withdrawing from the upcoming April 5th election. Maher has served on the board for eight years, and said in a news release that the decision was made after a lot of thought and discussions with his wife Karrie and father David Maher, who serves as the Orland Park Village Clerk. “My wife and family went through a lot during the Cook County commissioner’s race and I couldn’t ask them to endure another grueling political campaign,” Maher said in the release. “Karrie and I are glad not to rehash the same old issues that campaigns …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Documents (2)

Fire District To Consider Property Tax Refunds

Firefighters, dispatchers and finance team honored, and other highlights from the Feb. 23 board meeting.

The Orland Fire Protection District may abate taxes for a third year. The board asked its staff on Wednesday to determine whether it’s possible to refund any taxpayer money in 2011. Trustee Martin McGill raised the issue, noting, “I know I’ve got the full board’s support on it.” Finance director Kerry Sullivan told trustees she would report back and, if the money is available, advised they had until June 1 to make a decision. During tax levy discussions in December, Fire Chief Bryant Krizik said the fire district has abated a combined $1.3 million over the last two years. Award, Recognitions Sullivan, again the center of attention, and her finance staff were congratulated for winning a “certificate of achievement for excellence in …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (3)

Fire Chief Talks Construction, Board Postpones Possible Release of Closed Session Minutes

Highlights from the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 26.

Construction and remodeling of the Orland Fire Protection District’s administration center is on schedule, Battalion Chief Dan Smith told the fire district’s board of trustees on Wednesday night. Although the $4 million addition is slated for completion in May, enough of the project is finished so that staff members have begun taking tours of the upcoming workspace, Smith said. “We’re still continuing to make good progress,” he noted. “The final concrete was poured inside today.” Last summer, the Orland Park village board agreed to sell the fire district a 77-foot by 200-foot parcel of land for $68,500 to join the fire district's administration center with firehouse one. Once finished, it will centralize staff while providing additional …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Andrea Williams

11:00 pm on Thursday, January 27, 2011

Let me guess, waiting until after the April 5th election to release those minutes like the County did with the release of the tax bills? Good Lord, talk about taking a page out of the Crook County Machine's playbook!   more ›

Orland Fire Protection District Approves 2010 Tax Levy

District unanimously approved its tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year Wednesday night.

Orland Fire District trustees approved a $26.6 million 2010 tax levy, a 5.37 percent increase over 2009, on Wednesday. Established taxpayers can expect a 2.7 percent increase—or the December 2009 rate of inflation—on their next bill. Anything the district receives beyond that will be the result of new construction and a combined $1.3 million tax abatement the district issued over the last two years, said Fire Chief Bryant Krizik on Thursday. In a written statement, district spokesman Bill Figel said the owner of a home valued at $200,000 will pay an additional $26.67 on their next bill if the board doesn't abate funds in 2011. In the event they do—as Krizik believes they will—that increase could amount to only $10.90, Figel said. At the …

• Photos (1)

Cook County Board Commissioner Candidates Compared

Both candidates for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, 17th District, vow to clean up government waste and restore ethical and fiscal responsibility.

The 17th District of the Cook County Board of Commissioners encompasses more than 500 square miles and 300,000 residents, and yet all three potential candidates reside in Orland Park. Strange as that may be, it was with little hardship that Orland Park Patch located Republican candidate Elizabeth Gorman and Democrat Patrick Maher, and submitted a questionnaire just in time for those voters teetering on the civic fence. Both Gorman and Maher returned their questionnaires on time. Though it should be noted that both camps responded very close to the requested deadline, after late reminders from Patch. Both were given a full week to answer the questions. Green Party candidate Matthew Ogean did not return multiple phone calls, even after a …

• Photos (4)