COMMITMENT TO FAILURE
Rich SD227 2021 versus 2023
State Ranking out of 699 schools
- Dropped from 565th to 603rd
- Expenditure per student has risen from $23,224 to $31,652
sources:
HOMEWOOD DEBT FREE AFTER PAYING OFF BOND
Homewood officials announced the village is debt-free after making a final bond payment on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Village officials said the feat is due to fiscally responsible leadership and conservative spending of taxpayer dollars.
“We are celebrating an exceptional accomplishment. I believe very few communities can say they have zero debt,” Mayor Rich Hofeld said. “I am very proud of our hardworking staff and the village board.”
The Village did not seek another issued bond in the fall 2023 because its reserve fund is appears adequate for future capital projects. Because no bond was issued in 2023, no debt payments will be added to the 2023 tax levy, reducing the levy amount by $500,000.
UPDATE ON MAJOR RENOVATIONS FOR THE 203RD STREET METRA STATION
November 18, 2022
The comprehensive planned station improvements are expected to include many of the Sharpwatch referenced elements, which will be considered during the upcoming design process.
Design activities for this project are anticipated to kick-off in early 2023 with construction beginning in mid-2025.
Features include:
• ADA Parking and Kiss-n-Ride
• Improved sidewalks
• Curb cuts and ramps
• New stair and elevator to platform
• New Station Head House providing enclosed / weather protected shelter at the stair and elevator
• New warming shelters and windbreaks
• New eight-car train platform with full length canopy providing protection to customers
• Rehabilitated West Tunnel with new flooring, wall finishes, and lighting
• New wayfinding and informational signage throughout the station
Source : Read entire letter from Metra CEO James Derwinski 11-18-2022
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !
AS TRUCKS CONTINUE CRASHING INTO VIADUCT ON A REGULAR BASIS,
COOK COUNTY OFFICIALS AND LOCAL MEDIA CONTINUE TO TURN A BLIND EYE
A SHARPWATCH Investigation revealed that 58 Trucks have crashed into the Vollmer Road viaduct in the last few years. That number continues to rise at a steady pace. A majority of residents were not even aware of the magnitude of this serious problem. (data obtained through FOIA)
ARE THE EXORBITANT PROPERTY TAXES WORTH IT ?
The $23,224 per pupil expenditure is by far the highest in the area and greater than a vast majority of schools in Illinois performing at Higher Levels.
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION
Until apathetic residents show an interest in School Board Elections and scrutinize the performance, motives, and political connections of people that are running for school board, we will continue to allow unworthy candidates to be appointed to destroy our community.
SD 227 PURCHASES A $105 MILLION DOLLAR BOND WITHOUT CITIZENS APPROVAL
This important matter remains under investigation.
It is the biggest debt incurred by any local taxing body in recent history. We may be paying for this with higher taxes for years to come.
Do they even have specifics or a design for what will be done with our money?
SD227 approved $105 million bond without Referendum
Yes, No Tax Increase Bonds Increase Your Taxes
SUPPORT OUR LOCAL WALGREENS
Help keep our neighborhood drugstore off the corporate shut down list.
Please remember to participate in this locations store evaluation at the bottom of your receipt by phoning 1-800-875-4028 to answer a questionnaire - Let's support out local Olympia Fields stores!
KEEPING PETS SAFE FROM COYOTES
Coyotes are wild animals who hunt other animals for survival. They have been known to kill foxes and other wild animals which compete with coyotes for small prey. Domestic dogs and cats specifically, smaller young or old dogs and cats may sometimes be appealing to coyotes. Below are a few recommendations to keep your pets safe:
- Walk you dog or cat on a leash.
- Never leave dogs or cats unattended in the yard and always keep them inside at night.
- Keep your yard well-illuminated when outdoors at night with your pet.
IS YOUR PET'S MICROCHIP REGISTERED & UPDATED?
While having the microchip implanted is a super important step, it's not the only one. It's equally as important that you
(1) register your contact information in one (or multiple) pet microchip registries, and
(2) check regularly to ensure that your contact information is always up-to-date in case the worst happens.
Many pet owners don’t realize that a chip only contains a unique number – like a pet’s social security number. When scanned, that microchip number is used to look up a pet owner’s contact info in a registry so they can get the pets home where they belong. Without registration, the microchip is useless, just as your social security number would be meaningless unless it correlated back to your name in a database.
VILLAGE STILL PAYING WALMART REIMBURSEMENT INSTALLMENTS FOR MEYERS-MARTIN AND MEKARSKI'S "VERY SHREWD" DEAL
90% of taxes Walmart pays into TIF is paid back
This element of the Walmart contract, spearheaded by our infamous former village administrator, is something Mekarski and his cronies never wanted the residents to know about. This is certainly not what former mayor Debra Meyers-Martin bragged about to the residents on March 26, 2017
SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS
This is NOT the same as Code Red.
Alert Center allows you to view all alerts and emergencies in Olympia Fields. To be instantly notified of alerts and emergencies subscribe to Notify Me® or RSS by clicking on the following link:
CHIEF BLASINGAME TAKES STEPS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY
Following SHARP's request to resolve a serious need for improved mutual relationships between police and residents, Chief Blasingame released the following memo to all officers.
Community Engagement Outline: Chief
The Village has requested comments from the residents that can either be positive or negative, regarding a member of the Olympia Fields police:
- Get their squad number, plate number, or the data off of their name tag.
- Write down the complete details of your feedback, the time, and the location.
Send your feedback to the Village by USPS or email to:
- President Sterling Burke sburke@olympia-fields.com
- Public Safety Liaison Kelvin Oliver koliver@Olympia-fields.com
- Police Chief Derick Blasingame dblasingame@olympia-fields.com
Or you may mail them at:
20040 Governors Hwy.
Olympia fields, IL 60461
SHARP REWARDS OLYMPIA FIELDS POLICE FOR LAUNCHING NEW COMMUNITY PROGRAM
SHARP offers all of the police force lunch from Lawrence Fishery for their service.to the community .
DO OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS SERVE US OR THEIR POLITICAL PARTY AGENDA?
How They Voted / Olympia Fields Village Board
RICH TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT JOHNNIE THOMAS' WEEKLY MESSAGE
Superintendents weekly message
FOLLOW THE MONEY
of campaign committees in Olympia Fields supposedly nonpartisan politics
Illinois Sunshine / Olympia Fields
VIDEO CATCHES STRANGER IN YARD AT 3:00AM
Incident occurred in the vicinity of Arcadia & Original Village on 8/20/2022
“WHY SHOULD THE COMMUNITY WRITE YOU A BLANK CHECK?"
Daily Southtown November 21, 2019
After deciding to close Rich East, in a move that was supposed to cut costs, the board voted 4-3 Tuesday to issue $105 million in bonds to finance construction work at the two schools.
The bond issue will increase property taxes by $137 a year on homes valued at $300,000 or $86 a year on homes valued at $200,000
“PREFERRED DEVELOPER" HAS MADE 906 POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Under the leadership of David Mekarski and Debra Meyers-Martin, Robinson Engineering was awarded numerous village projects without going through a competitive bidding process.
Robinson Engineering Campaign Contributions / IllinoisSunshine.org
100 BIGGEST SPENDERS: WHAT ILLINOIS PARK DISTRICTS RANK HIGHEST?
Source: South Cook News | Apr 9, 2018
Park districts for Olympia Fields, Homewood-Flossmoor and Oak Lawn are among those in Illinois with the highest spending per capita in 2017, Illinois State Comptroller financial reports show.
RESIDENTS PROTESTED 1975 VOLLMER RD & VIADUCT WIDENING
“Those who fail to learn from history
are condemned to repeat it”
VOLLMER ROAD IS OWNED
BY COOK COUNTY
This was a dumb idea in 1975, and an even dumber idea 40 years later. David Mekarski and Debra Meyers-Martin wasted $1 million in state taxpayer money studying the reconstruction of something we don’t even own.
Homewood Flossmoor Star November 2, 1975
READ UPDATE
UPDATED:
Payroll Register Data YTD2019 (download)
Village of Olympia Fields Salaries
Olympia Fields Park District Salaries
(Park District allegedly did not report extra pay and is not included in annual salaries)
LITTERBUGS WILL PAY THE PRICE
POLICE TO ISSUE M-TICKETS
Sec. 11-34. - Littering prohibited; generally It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, drop, cast or deposit on any street, alley, sidewalk or any yard, or premises, public or private, any filth of any kind, or cans, paper, trash, paper containers, rubbish, bottles or any other form of litter or waste matter…..
Fines:
· $50.00 for first offence
· $250.00 if subject requests a hearing and found guilty
Village requests residents assistance
“If you see somebody that is throwing stuff out the window, take a picture on the cellphone and give that to the police department and they will issue a ticket.”
“If you can’t take a picture, get a license plate number”
“We don’t want anybody playing cowboy trying to tell somebody not to do something. But at the same time, if you see something, say so. It is all of our duty to do this.”
Village Board Meeting
6-15-2022 page 11-12
PARKING ORDINANCE FOR NON-HARD SURFACES
All 4 wheels must be on hard surface
Sec. 14-39.( I ) Parking on non-hard surfaces. It shall be unlawful to park any motor vehicle on any public or private property within the village unless such vehicle is parked on a hard surfaced driveway...
GARBAGE CAN ORDINANCE
Sec. 11-41. (B) ...refuse containers and garbage containers shall be stored in area on the owner’s property which is not visible from the street.
MUNICIPAL TAX RATE LOWEST SINCE 2012
Municipal Tax Definition - The portion of a Homeowners annual Property Tax Bill that goes specifically to the Village of Olympia Fields
REMOVE CROOK COUNTY LAPDOGS - vote for a 100% nonpartisan village board
Democratic affiliations must be removed and never given a chance to run Olympia Fields further into the ground
Olympia Fields spending/debt problem is entirely due to a decade of wasteful undisciplined leadership supported by the Cook County Democratic Party.
All the Democratic affiliates that have ever sat on our Village Board have been loyal soldiers representing their own political agenda.
Their agenda is not and never was to be loyal Public Servants fighting for the residents needs.
We must continue to get out and vote for candidates that have our backs and weed out the political yes men.
While these affiliations have been personally beneficial to the careers of Board members, village employees, and Robinson Engineering, it has been nothing but a detriment to all the hard working residents of Olympia Fields. Many of whom have cut their loses and fled.
Crime Prevention
don't be a target at atm machines
Survey asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes
Survey asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes
Survey asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes
Survey asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes
Survey asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes
86 inmates currently serving time for burglary were asked to respond anonymously to 17 questions detailing how they broke in, when the crime occurred and what they were looking for.
