I’m writing to thank Oak Park citizens for their support of the human services mission of Oak Park Township during my 20 years in township elective office, five as a trustee and 15 as supervisor. With feelings of gratitude for the opportunity to serve, I will leave office in May 2017 after the April municipal election of new township officials.
A special thank you goes to the boards of the 11 Oak Park and River Forest government units — villages, schools, libraries, parks, and townships — for their 20-year support of the township’s Youth Interventionist Intergovernmental Agreement, perhaps the best example of local governments cooperating to provide a quality service at the lowest cost.
Their support is the best testimonial to the value of having highly trained social workers advising and guiding youth and families in times of special needs that call for interventions beyond the reach and experience of the other government units and social services.
As a citizen representative with the opportunity to closely observe over many years, I have come to appreciate the importance of our township as an independent unit. During the recent Great Recession, a time of increasing social service need, declining revenues required our village government to cut budget and personnel 20 percent. At the same time, Township General Assistance roles doubled to 120, Youth and Senior services needs grew due to housing and job-related tensions, and Community Mental Health funding needs increased with declining state support.
The township, however, was able to expand these services due to its stable revenue base of 2.6 percent of property taxes and other stable grant funding.
In addition, during the recession, a 10-year accumulation in a capital fund dedicated to senior facilities improvement allowed the township to purchase and renovate, at greatly reduced cost, a long-vacant building for a now very successful Senior Services and Meeting Room facility on Oak Park Avenue.
I have often reminded the township staff and citizen volunteers of their important role in human services and their good fortune in having a generous citizenry providing our reliable annual funding. And, the Township Assessor’s Office ensures that the property tax burden of that funding is understood and fair across all taxpayers.
As my service ends in May, I am confident that a new slate of Oak Park Township candidates will continue the high standard of human services that the people of Oak Park have come to expect and surely deserve.
And, by intergovernmental agreement, River Forest Township residents will also receive all of Oak Park Township’s Youth and Senior services.