* AP…
Voters in Orland Township will consider a referendum in November to leave Cook County and join adjacent Will County.
The Daily Southtown reports the referendum is an advisory question, which means the south suburban Chicago township will remain in Cook County no matter the result of the vote.
Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady says it’s an issue he’s heard about regularly from constituents. Specifically, he says, after Cook County raised sales taxes. O’Grady says residents “feel they are not getting their money’s worth.”
* But…
Similar referendums to disconnect from Cook County were overwhelmingly approved by voters in Barrington, Hanover and Palatine Townships in 2009, also triggered by the sales tax hike. However, seven years later, those communities are still in Cook County.
Your thoughts?
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:24 pm:
Will never happen, but perhaps useful in the sense of expressing displeasure with County leadership.
- Dee Lay - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:26 pm:
Is there a reason townships handle the county assignment and not the individual towns?
To be fair, I have little regard for the township system.
- Shemp - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:29 pm:
Been pushing to get my county to secede and join Iowa for years now.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:32 pm:
It’s not that easy. Article VII, Section 2, Illinois Constitution.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:33 pm:
Only if they agree to take Rich Township and Bloom Township with them.
- DuPage Bard - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:34 pm:
Why don’t they do a referendum of whether or not there should be a Township? High salaries, property tax burden and fat pensions. Cook County should put a referendum up to consolidate the Township into County government.
Careful what can you open.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:34 pm:
I’ll be more interested in the “after”
Ok, if passed, now what?
Right now, being a part of Cook County isn’t seen by many as a positive, bug is many a majority of voters this November?
- ChrisB - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:35 pm:
Having grown up near there, my first thought was, “Wait, they aren’t in Will County already?”
I’m not sure how all those “No Cook County Tax” cigarette shops will fit in the mall, though.
- Jc19pd2 - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:36 pm:
Orland Park is located in both Cook and Will county. My thoughts are are that the people of orland park would love to join completely with Will County. This is based on friends who have moved out of areas such as Blue Island, Calumet Park, Midlothian, Oak Forest, etc.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:37 pm:
This is Orland Towmship.
Thanks.
- Saluki - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:41 pm:
No one wants to be associated with cook county. They should be thier own state.
- Rhino Slider - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:41 pm:
Once the first one goes, all the wealthy white ones will go like dominoes.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:43 pm:
- Rhino Slider -
How are they going to break out of Cook?
The cite is above. Heavy lift.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:46 pm:
- Saluki -
You remove Cook from Illinois… Illinois is hurt 10 times to Sunday.
Just saying.
- Jc19pd2 - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:47 pm:
My mistake Willie. I see the township consists of Orland Park, Orland Hills, and parts of Tinley Park. I thought though that both a portion of Tinley Park and Orland Park residents reside in Will County.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:50 pm:
Would this mean their residential property would be assessed at 33 1/3 percent rather than Cook’s artificially low 10 percent?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:51 pm:
- Jc19pd2 -
No worries at all. Just was clarifying.
Plus, we all make mistakes, look how I spelled township
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:52 pm:
Not sure one should only look at sales taxes. Here in the Barrington area property taxes a quite a bit lower for a house in Cook country than in Lake, Kane, or McHenry. For businesses and commercial property it is the opposite.
- Telly - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:57 pm:
Cook would have to agree to let them go…never gonna happen.
@ Michelle Flaherty is right. Their property taxes would likely go up. They can ask the neighbors across the county line in Homer Glen about that.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:59 pm:
The old Domino effect, RS? What about the mine shaft gap?
Don’t concern yourself. Read the Constitution. No one’s going anywhere.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:01 pm:
Let’s have fun. Split Cook into three parts; City and County of Chicago with a unified government as Lugar did with Indianapolis, North Cook, and South Cook. (one could be Lincoln County). Then require all counties to have at least 30,000 people or to consolidate with adjacent counties to get to the required minimum.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:07 pm:
I would be in favor of local control. I don’t think orland township would be happy being a part of will county though either
- G'Kar - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:07 pm:
Does Will County have a say in this? What if they don’t want them? (asked half in snark and half seriously)
- A guy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:09 pm:
One word: Silly
- Anon - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:12 pm:
The suburbs (rightly so) feel like they get milked by the County to feed the residents of Chicago. Sales tax, garbage tax, hotel tax, amusement tax and now a new soft drink tax and business sick-leave mandate are adding to the burden. It’s becoming too much for too many to bear. Secession won’t ever happen, but the talk/action regarding it is politically popular and therapeutic.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:20 pm:
Also it should be noted that most of the public officials in the affected area are Democratic or Democratically-aligned so this isn’t a partisan thing.
- DuPage - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:24 pm:
There was a movement a few years ago for part of northwestern Cook to switch to DuPage, until they realized they would have to pay much, much higher property taxes on their houses. Suddenly they said “never mind”.
- Southside Markie - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:32 pm:
Its an example of the same wasteful use of taxpayer dollars that the proponents are protesting against.
- Rhino Slider - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:50 pm:
The process was discussed at length several years ago when Todd Stroger beat Peraica and raised the sales tax “just one pennny.”
The municipalities either need to join with another county or if Northern Cook was going to form Lincoln County, they would need to form their own court system and other county government.
There will come a time shortly when this actually makes financial sense.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:53 pm:
===shortly===
Define “shortly”
Year? 5 years? 10 years?
And… If it will come, why have a vote now if it’s now feasible now… but will be… “shortly”?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 4:15 pm:
RS, you’re “at-length discussion” begins at Article VII, Section 2.
- Levois - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 4:25 pm:
If this is serious why is this an advisory question. Is that just one step before they attempt to that for real? Or is this all just more words and no action?
- Enviro - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 4:37 pm:
Why Will County? Do they really want to become part of Dupage?
- foster brooks - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 9:38 pm:
with people leaving Illinois in droves this problem will be solved in 10 years
- NorthsideNoMore - Friday, Sep 23, 16 @ 7:58 am:
Do a Con Con and realign the collar counties and townships. The safety net they (used to) provide is needed in some places in others not at all. Eliminate the wasted taxes where the municipalities are doing all the work anyway. For the insiders there could be some fun gerry mandering in that exercise.
- GA Watcher - Friday, Sep 23, 16 @ 9:10 am:
We do need a Con Con. The trouble is the next opportunity to put the question to voters is 12 years away.
- OPT Tom - Friday, Sep 23, 16 @ 11:42 am:
First saw any info about this subject, advisory secession vote for Orland Township, in the Thursday, 9/22/16, Chicago Tribune. I can’t find anything online about the people/person who got the referendum on the ballot. Signatures had to be gathered by some one or organization. People are suddenly talking and are interested.
- jojat - Thursday, Sep 29, 16 @ 6:36 pm:
Cook county will never let Orland Park leave. They need their taxes, since most resident of Chicago are on welfare and do not pay taxes, only get hand-outs.