A VILLAGE IN CRISIS

The Village of Orland Park can be described as a prosperous and striving community. It wins many awards and accolades for its history and progress. It’s the retail hub and envy of the southwest suburbs. But something is happening to shake that image. It’s the financial condition of the Village. In the past year we’ve seen the creation of new fees, the cutting of the property tax rebates, increased property taxes and the implementation of a 15 month budget. The Village acts as if it’s immune to the current recession. The heart of its revenues, retail sales, have declined. Nationally retail sales are down 10%, housing sales have stalled and foreclosures are on the rise. The bread and butter normally used to run the Village is drying up. The Village relies on debt in the form of bonds and TIF’s to provide the monies needed to pursue its ambitious goals. This is a problem, because many of these goals and ambitions are no longer affordable.

The debt that the Village is incurring must be repaid and that is why we see the increases in fees and taxes. The 12 month budget couldn’t be balanced so the Village reverted to a 15 month budget. The burden of this debt is being transferred to the Citizens of Orland Park. The Village is failing to recognize the reality of the recession and continues to operate as if nothing has changed. It continues to pursue projects that are too costly to support. For instance, millions of dollars have been invested in the Metra Triangle with little or no return. The Mayor continues to pressure the Orland Plaza into extinction. To continue this course of action will only provide less sales and property tax dollars for the Village. The Mayor’s arrogance of power is becoming a burden upon the taxpayers of Orland Park. There comes a time when leaders must face unpleasant decisions and admit failure. The Mayor’s dream for the Metra Triangle is no longer possible and has been better described as the “Bermuda Triangle.” There are no developers standing in line to invest in this dream. It’s time to abandon the harassment of the Orland Plaza and seek more feasible options for the vacant land.
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