Mayor Pekau stated that Governor Pritzker increased spending by 17.8% during his first term. Orland Park reduced operating expenditures by 14% during the same period. Regarding the motor fuel tax freeze, Pekau stated that right now it’s “39.2 cents per gallon, let’s not forget that when he took office it was 19 cents a gallon.”

Mayor Pekau also stated that the one-year grocery tax suspension and the one-time property tax rebate are “election-year gimmicks, they’re trying to buy your vote.” The reasons for this assertion are: “One, grocery tax goes to municipalities, not for the state. Two, State of Illinois doesn’t collect property taxes. Three, the biggest reason the citizens’ property taxes remain high is because the state doesn’t keep its promises and refuses to fix the broken pension system.”

He went on to say that Governor Pritzker is “trying to bribe you with your own money for your vote. Instead of one-year election gimmicks, I call on the Governor to do the following: Fully restore the LGDF. … Eliminate the grocery tax completely. … Roll back the vehicle and truck registration increases. Eliminate the vehicle trade-in tax. Reduce income taxes back to the 2011 levels over the next three years. Fix the broken pension system. And make the cuts necessary to balance the budget without additional debt or new taxes just like we’ve done here in Orland Park.”

Aquatic Center Slides Unsafe

The slides at the Centennial Park Aquatic Center have been deemed unsafe after a recent inspection. In 2015, the slides were painted with rollers, rather than being painted properly. The slides’ interior has been chipping and peeling since 2016, necessitating additional maintenance, repairs, and daily monitoring. The slides’ interior should be maintained through a PM gel coating. As a result, the interior surfaces are in very poor condition.

Original Source Can Be Found Here.