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SHARPWATCH
Community Action Group

SHARPWATCH Community Action GroupSHARPWATCH Community Action GroupSHARPWATCH Community Action Group

of Olympia Fields, Illinois

of Olympia Fields, Illinoisof Olympia Fields, Illinois

 More Sharpwatch News


   Archives 1.0

December 4, 2019  District 227 Approves $105 Million for Construction Projects


October 1, 2014  Vehicle Stickers Returning to the Village 


May 14, 2014  Olympia Fields to receive $488,800 grant to extend bike paths


December 14, 2011  Village to ask voters for 911 fee hike  


August 25, 2006  Neighbors shine light on forgotten residences 


February 28, 2002  Board considers utility tax rate increase 


October 12, 1995  Residents launch protest of planned 2 percent utility tax


August 30, 1989  Olympia Fields Says Goodbye To Village Property Tax 


July 27, 1989  Mayor's resignation jolts village


September 28, 1977  Socioeconomic ranking of suburban communities in metropolitan Chicago

Archives

Olympia Fields to recieve $488,800 grant to extend bike paths

PATCH May 14, 2014 

OLYMPIA FIELDS - A new 1.25 mile bike path & multi-use trail will be newly built on Vollmer Road.  The proposed bike path connects Vollmer Woods Forest Preserve to an existing bike trail that ends at southeast corner of Crawford Avenue and Vollmer Road.

 "Projects like these will help continue to make our community a great place to live," Senator Hastings said.  "We are continuing to build the Southland as a place where people can be proud to raise a family and enjoy the outdoors." 

The bike path & multi-use trail will also connect to on-street bike lanes currently existing at the Kedzie Avenue Traffic signal.  In addition, signal modifications will be completed to provide countdown pedestrian timers for safe non-motorized travel at signalized intersections.

source : https://patch.com/illinois/tinleypark/olympia-fields-to-recieve-488800-grant-to-extend-bike-paths

David Mekarski Lies about Referendum Newsletter at Town Hall Meeting

Source: DAVID MEKARSKI & DEBRA MEYERS-MARTIN  12-6-2016 TOWN HALL MEETING

A stuttering David Mekarski told residents that the 2007 Referendum Newsletter stated that sewers were only a “minor part“ of the referendum, and that he “can certainly get a copy of it from file and prove the commitment by this board was to only take $200,000 out of the 2008 referendum for sewers”.

Debra Meyers-Martins then states that all the referendum money ($200,000) allocated for sewers was only “spent on smoke testing and televising the sewer system”

This completely contradicts what residents were promised in what was really printed in the 2007 REFERENDUM NEWSLETTER released by the village. A majority of residents overwhelmingly voted “yes” to the referendum believing the village when they proclaimed 50% of the new revenue was for sewers.

In a disgusting revelation, 10 years after the bogus sewer referendum, Cynthia Saenz revealed that the village is in debt $5,900,000 (in principle alone) for sewer projects.

2007 Referendum Newsletter 

Page 2

Village’s tax rate. This tax rate increase will generate

approximately $1.2 million dollars annually in new revenues.

Approximately 50% will be directed to the General Fund to

prevent a reduction in services or necessary layoffs from our

Police department. The remaining 50% will finance a series of

sewer and drainage improvement projects that will directly

benefit many of our neighborhoods. For the average household

with a home that has a market value of $300,000, this increase

Page 4

8. WILL THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES INTEND TO USE

SOME OF THE REVENUES RAISED BY THE

REFERENDUM TO SUBSIDIZE THE COST OF

NECESSARY SANITARY SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS?

Our sewer sanitary system is aging. Over 60% of our sewer

lines are 40 years old. These lines are cracking, allowing

groundwater to flood the system. This ground water

infiltration overwhelms the systems ability to handle sewer

water. During storm conditions, sewer water can actually

“backup” into our homes. The Illinois Environmental

Protection Agency has actually issued a Violation Notice for a

portion of the system along Country Club Drive. The

reconstruction of this line alone will exceed $400,000. An

engineering study indicates that the cost of repair of our

overall system will exceed $7 million. To manage this critical

project, the Board of Trustees intends to utilize sewer rates

combined with revenues from the proposed 68-cent increase

to finance a 5-year capital improvement project. The end

result will mean a major reduction in sewage backups,

extending the life of the system for another 30 plus years, and

compliance with State Environmental laws.

Case of Mismanagement

 The following presentation will provide professional and specific analysis of the village budgets revealing unnecessary management deficiencies resulting in unprecedented risk and the immediate need for an executive closed session to discuss change of course and non-renewal of contract of chief personnel responsible for village administration (David Mekarski).

Please print following pdf or copy the link and distribute to all your friends and neighbors.

CASE OF MISMANAGEMENT

Debra Meyers-Martin Lies about reduced budgets and raising taxes

 Source: DEBRA MEYERS-MARTIN 3-26-2017

This despite the fact the Municipal Tax Rate  has gone up every year and nearly doubled since she took office, along with the skyrocketing Village Salaries which have also gone up every year and are public record.

JURY AWARDS $678,723 TO FORMER VILLAGE EMPLOYEE FOR RETALIATION, WRONGFUL TERMINATION

 “a subsequent, independent audit produced only questionable evidence funds were missing and no evidence Rambo was involved”

Another poor decision by crooked David Mekarski.

Enough is Enough, Mekarski is the one that should be terminated.

RAMBO VERDICT


ALLEGATIONS OF CONCERNED CITIZEN.

ONCE AGAIN, CANDIDATE’S CAMPAIGN FOR VILLAGE PRESIDENT ALLEGEDLY PEDDLING “FALSE” ACCUSATIONS

One candidate's campaign for Village President has now allegedly sunk to spewing false accusations of Police brutality and cover-up charges against the Olympia Fields Police Dept. and Village President. As an affluent highly educated community, we can easily research the evidence and identify the facts.

READ THE FACTS
 

Quality of Life for staff prospers

Chicago Style Politics thrive in Olympia Fields

For the last decade, the David Mekarski Administration has refused to reduce spending while sucking more money from homeowners year after year, with increased taxes and fees.

Clearly, the priority of David Mekarski is the Quality of life for the village administration and staff, especially himself.

  .

ANNUAL RAISES SINCE  2000

Mr. **** inquired weather or not there has been a time in the past seven years when the village employees haven't gotten a cost of living increase.


Village president Meyers-Martin stated "Yes we have frozen it. There was a zero degree raise" 

                                   VILLAGE BOARD MEETING  MINUTES

                                                        August 25, 2014

                                                                page 34

                                                       

Ghost Salary on Village Financial Reports

Discrepancies of our tax dollars 

2012 was the first full year that David Mekarski served in the dual capacity as both Village Administrator and the Village Clerk. Although their current budget states otherwise, the Village denies paying any money to the Village Clerk,The Village of Olympia Fields Annual Financial Reports and 2015 Budget Expense Projections-Administration, clearly  state that for the past 3 years, the Village paid money for a "Village Clerk".

Once again, this is not unlike the typical Chicago Style ghost salaries we read about. Where did this money go?


 GHOST SALARY 


Village Administrator & Village Clerk

David Mekarski

Controversial Jones Sculpture not so “original” or “hand made”

Turns out this “original piece of art” is actually contracted to a body shop and fabrication shop for manufacturing.

CAVEAT EMPTOR: LET THE BUYER BEWARE

Never forget where it all started

 We have NOT forgotten who the sociopath was that launched the destruction of Olympia Fields when he irresponsibly hired David Mekarski in 2005 and kept residents in the dark about Mekarski’s reprehensible stint in Vero Beach.

 MEKARSKI PAID $170,000 SEVERANCE TO LEAVE VERO BEACH


 Vero Beach Minutes  1-4-2005 


 Vero Beach Minutes  3-23-2005 


 Vero Beach Minutes  5-17-2005 



$62,394 “Gift for Jones” ?

Just when you thought the village couldn’t waste any more tax payer money...Now comes a sculpture that has cumulatively ended up costing us more than $60,000. The bill for this “GIFT FOR PRESIDENT JONES” should be footed by the people that have benefited the most from Jones, the village administration and all village employees. Their enhanced salaries could be garnished equally until the total cost of the Tribute is paid off. However, the true accountability for this irresponsible waste of taxpayer money goes to the 6 Trustees that unanimously approved it.

 TOTAL CUMULATIVE COST OF GIFT TO JONES

Man robs Chase Bank at gunpoint

Why wasn’t Code Red Alert issued ? 

 A male robbed the Chase Bank on Vollmer Road in Olympia Fields at 11:04a,m. Thursday morning (5-4-2017).

The suspect wielded a weapon during the robbery, which was described as a "takeover bank robbery" by the FBI. He fled on foot in an unknown direction after the robbery, FBI officials said.

He was described as a black male, 5-feet, 8-inches tall with a thin build and wearing all black clothing with a black mask..

A reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information should call the FBI at (312) 421-6700.

Since 2004, Olympia Fields annual salaries have increased +178% over the Consumer Price index

Comparison to the surrounding communities.

Average annual salaries

                                          2004              2015

Olympia Fields          $40,556        $66,612 

FACT: Since 2004, Total Annual Salaries has increased by +178.62% over Consumer Price Index (CPI) = (inflation)

Source:Village of Olympia Fields


Flossmoor                  $42,864        $52,434

FACT: Since 2004, Total Annual Salaries has increased by +20.97% over Consumer Price Index (CPI) = (inflation)

Source:Village of Flossmoor


Matteson                     $39,825        $45,268

FACT: Since 2004, Total Annual Salaries has decreased by -88.04% over Consumer Price Index (CPI) = (inflation)

Source:Village of Matteson


“There weren’t any burglaries in Olympia Fields last year…name one? ”

“There is no crime in Olympia Fields” 

Carl Frey 

2-27-2013 Town Hall Meeting, Arcadia School 


2012 Olympia Fields Residential Burglaries

Suburban legislator pushing for law to prohibit Double Dipping

BGA  May 12, 2015  By Patrick Rehkamp/BGA and Pam zekman/CBS2

A suburban legislator is pushing for a law that would prohibit retired cops throughout Illinoisfrom collecting a police salary and a police pension at the same time.

State Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) introduced legislation this year that would stop retired cops from collecting their pensions and going back to work as officers for a different department. Wehrli said he introduced his bill because of a situation in Napervillewhere a high-ranking police officer retired, started collecting his pension and came back as chief.
Wehrli’s bill passed in the Illinois House and is currently in the Senate where he said it likely will die.

"I’m looking at introducing any legislation to get us out of this fiscal mess," Wehrli said. "This process of double dipping . . . it’s a problem that we need to address. Without pension reform the fiscal crisis only gets worse." 


Employee       Wage             Job Title                  City            Vacation     Sick

Les Delya   $63,249.95   Records Clerk    OlympiaFields    25days    10days 



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