Orland Mayor’s TIF plan will dramatically hike property taxes
A TIF Plan by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and Realtor Trustee Cindy Katsenes to help their land developer cronies will impose millions of dollars in property tax increases on homeowners
By Ray Hanania
FREE/Politics TIFS/Sunday Sept. 8, 2024
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and Trustee realtor Cindy Katsenes are planning to impose three new TIF Districts that will increase property taxes hundreds of millions of dollars on village taxpayers.
Under the Orland Park TIFs, which stands for Tax Increment Financing, three areas would be falsely declared as being "blighted": the former Andrew Corporation property, the land adjacent to Petey's II restaurant, and the former Lincoln Mercury dealership lot at 143rd and 94th Ave.
Why is this a concern? If hundreds of new homes and businesses are built in those TIFs, ALL of the property tax money would be redirected into an unmonitored development slush fund that can be used by the mayor and his board to do anything. The money would be taken away from the schools to address the increased student population from the new homes.
Recently, Mohammed Jaber, a board trustee on School District 230, explained the Pekau-Katsenes TIF districts take property taxes away from local schools, from the library and other government agencies like the Fire District for a period of between 23 and 35 years.
Here's how that happens. When new homes are built on the properties -- it could be as many as 200 on the old Andrew site, instead of directing property taxes from those new homes to the schools, for example, to accommodate the hundreds of additional students from the families that buy those homes, the school district is forced to absorb the extra student costs on their own, forcing them to either raise property taxes or reduce student services.
What makes it worse, Jaber explains, is that Pekau and Katsenes, the insider realtor, has failed to file the Village of Orland Park Financial Audits for the past two years.
"It is irresponsible to create three new TIF districts that will redirect property taxes from these four government agencies and force them to find ways to replace the lost money without fully knowing the precise financial situation of the Village of Orland Park," Jaber said in a press release suppressed by pro-Pekau local media..
"Additionally, once the true nature of the village's finances are understood by releasing these two delinquent financial audits, the entire TIF plan should be presented to the taxpayers in a referendum to force the village to provide more specific and complete details."
Jaber added, “The truth is no one knows what the real financial status is of the Village of Orland Park because the Village refuses to release the audits. And when they were asked to produce the audits, they dodged public demands.”
"That doesn't reinforce public taxpayer confidence in the village's leadership. It raises so many questions in terms of what the village may be forced to do after the TIF districts are created. Will they then use this as an excuse to raise property taxes to avert catastrophe?," Jaber asked.
"How will it impact our schools like District 135 and District 230, our school children, seniors who are on a fixed income, and our taxpayers who have invested in Orland Park? This will impact the taxing bodies and the communities surrounding us that feed into District 230. Will it force a domino effect resulting in increased property taxes at a time when every homeowner is experiencing one of the largest public property assessment-driven tax hikes that we have seen in decades?"
Pekau and Katsenes won't answer these serious questions because their buddies and donors, local strip mall owners, land developers and their attorneys will make huge profits from the fees from the 3 TIF each year that they exist.
In contrast, village taxpayers will be forced to pay the differences in property taxes and there is no doubt that Pekau and Katsenes are planning a huge property tax hike right after the local elections next year.
Instead of providing answers, Katsenes has been making personal attacks against anyone who question their actions -- Katsenes doesn't believe in public accountability or in good fiscal management since she makes the political attacks during the taxpayer funded board meetings.
I am only more shocked by the efforts of some school officials who have ties to Pekau and Katsenes to discourage coverage of this issue when the TIFs will hurt the tax base of all the schools involved from District 230 to District 135 and more.
If you want to know more about TIF districts and how they can force increases in your property taxes, visit or subscribe to my Youtube account at YouTube.com/@RayHanania.
In an interview with me on my Podcast this week, TIF expert Tom Tresser provides a detailed explanation of how badly TIF districts like Orland Parks can harm taxpayers.
Click this link or view the Video using Widget below:
Here is Jaber's press release that Pekau and Katsenes sought to suppress and keep the homeowners and taxpayers from seeing:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
Orland Park should suspend TIF district plans until they release delinquent financial audits
Orland Park, IL -- Plans by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau to create three TIF districts to address "blighted land developments" should be put on hold until after he releases two delinquent financial audits detailing the true nature of the village's finances.
The Village plans to designate three TIF districts, one for the former Andrew Corporation property, one for the land adjacent to the former Petey's II restaurant, one for the former Lincoln Mercury dealership lot on 143rd and 94th Avenue.
Mohammed Jaber who serves on the District 230 School board said the three TIF districts will redirect millions of dollars in property taxes into "a fund of uncertainty" that are earmarked for local schools, the Orland Park Library, the Orland Fire Protection District and the Village of Orland Park.
"It is irresponsible to create three new TIF districts that will redirect property taxes from these four government agencies and force them to find ways to replace the lost money without fully knowing the precise financial situation of the Village of Orland Park," Jaber said.
"Additionally, once the true nature of the village's finances are understood by releasing these two delinquent financial audits, the entire TIF plan should be presented to the taxpayers in a referendum to force the village to provide more specific and complete details."
The Village of Orland Park has been cited by the State of Illinois for failing to release the financial audits for 2022 and 2023. The audits detail the financial health of a government agencies, identifying existing and future financial debt, and any impending financial problems.
“The truth is no one knows what the real financial status is of the Village of Orland Park because the Village refuses to release the audits. And when they were asked to produce the audits, they dodged public demands,” Jaber said.
"That doesn't reinforce public taxpayer confidence in the village's leadership. It raises so many questions in terms of what the village may be forced to do after the TIF districts are created. Will they then use this as an excuse to raise property taxes to avert catastrophe?
"How will it impact our schools like District 135 and District 230, our school children, seniors who are on a fixed income, and our taxpayers who have invested in Orland Park? This will impact the taxing bodies and the communities surrounding us that feed into District 230. Will it force a domino effect resulting in increased property taxes at a time when every homeowner is experiencing one of the largest public property assessment-driven tax hikes that we have seen in decades?"
Jaber said all three properties have been fallow for years.
“What is the harm in waiting, and educating the public about this and not rushing into it, unless there is something that the mayor is keeping from the public?" Jaber asked.
Jaber is urging residents to speak out and demand that all three TIF districts are put on hold until these serious questions are answered fully, forthrightly and immediately. If these TIFS are approved with any input, this could have long term effects on our village. We are seeing the negative affects of the 143rd and Lagrange TIF and how it cost the taxpayers.
An Orland Park resident for more than 15 years, Jaber holds a Masters of Education degree from Saint Xavier University, is a current educator, a former adjunct professor at Moraine Valley Community College, registered IHSA official, and involved in the community.