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Orland Park Government

The Orland Park Board of Trustees is composed of a President (Mayor), Village Clerk, and six at-large Trustees. All are elected to staggered four-year terms and serve part-time. The Village Manager Form of Government was adopted in 1983. As the head of Administration, a Village Manager, hired by the Board of Trustees to carry out their policies, assures effective and efficient day-to-day operations of all departments, divisions, on- and off-site facilities, and government services.

Headquartered in the Village Hall are the Mayor’s Office, the Mayor’s Office of Special Services, the Trustees’ offices, Village Clerk’s Office, as well as the Finance Department and Cashier’s Office. Additionally located in Village Hall is the Village Manager’s office. The Village Manager’s office directs Public Information, Media and Events, Public Relations, MIS, Human Resources, and Building Maintenance on a daily basis.

The newly created Development Services Department oversees the Building Division, Planning and Economic Development Division, Design and Systems Division, along with all contracted and some in-house engineering functions. This Department is responsible for building and sign code enforcement, land-use planning, economic development activities (including business retention, attraction, expansion, redevelopment, marketing, and administering the Revolving Loan Fund Program), as well as coordinating development within Old Orland, the Village’s Historic District. This includes administering the Village’s Historic Preservation Strategy, the new Facade Improvement Program and its Regulations and Design Guidelines.

Recreation and Parks Department is housed in the Franklin E. Loebe Recreation Center and, along with the Civic Center, is part of the Village Center complex. The Public Works and Police Departments are located in separate facilities not far from the Village Hall. Centennial Park and Aquatic Center, a seasonally, fully staffed facility, rests next to Lake Sedgewick about a mile and a half southwest of the Village Center. Orland Park’s Sportsplex is located offsite slightly further in the southwest sector of town.

Several public commissions and advisory boards, appointed by the Village President with approval of the Trustees, assist the Board in its responsibilities. These include a Plan Commission, Recreation Advisory Commission, Economic Development Advisory Board, Historic Preservation Review Commission, Arts Commission, Open Land Funds Commission, and the Stellwagen Family Farm Foundation, newly created to preserve a living farm in Orland Park.

In 1991, Orland Park adopted a new Comprehensive Plan to govern continued growth of the Village. Shortly afterward, it adopted a Land Development Code, which combines a zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, landscaping ordinance and sign ordinance into one document. Both documents are continuously reviewed and updated as the Village grows.

In emergencies, residents dial 911 to obtain assistance from police or fire personnel. The Village’s Police Department has received national and state awards for its many public service programs.

It operates a Canine Unit, a Special Response Team, a Bike Patrol, the national DARE anti-drug program, Kid Care ID photo program, and encourages participation in Neighborhood Watch and the National Night Out program designed to fight crime. Not surprising is the fact that the U.S. Conference of Mayors has named Orland Park one of the nation’s 10 “most livable” communities based on its comprehensive community policing program. The Orland Park Police Department is moving to an expanded building to accommodate the growing needs of the Village. The Orland Park Police Department dedicated its new facility at 15100 South Ravinia Avenue on May 1, 2007. Designed to accommodate the department for the next 40 years, the building was awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification in November of 2007.

In addition to having the local distinction of being the first building of its kind in the south suburbs, the Village of Orland Park Police Department has the only police facility in the country to achieve the LEED Gold Certificate.

LEED Design evaluates buildings in five categories: water efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainable site, energy, atmosphere and materials. Working closely with the Orland Park Police Department, SRBL Architects of Deerfield, Illinois, recycled an existing commercial warehouse at the corner of 151st Street and Ravinia Avenue into a new 65,175-square-foot facility.

The facility includes staff and administrative offices, training room, evidence room, library, men’s and women’s locker rooms, processing area, eight male and six female holding cells, and a sally port.

The Orland Fire Protection District has six strategically positioned fire stations in the community, each manned around the clock by fully trained firefighters /paramedics. Three fire protection districts (FPD) serve the citizens of Orland Park. They are the Orland FPD, the Palos FPD and the Mokena FPD. The Palos FPD serves a small area of Orland Park north of 135th Street. Mokena FPD serves that area of Orland Park located south of 183rd Street.

Orland Park operates its own portable water distribution system, obtaining water from Lake Michigan via the City of Chicago and the Village of Oak Lawn. Orland Park relies on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for wastewater treatment. The community receives electricity from ComEd, natural gas from NICOR Gas, local and long distance telephone service from several companies, and cable television service from Comcast.