Pekau fails to file annual audit 2nd year in a row, what is he hiding?

Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau increased taxes, fees, fines, reduced services and spent millions on concert venues giving himself better seating, but, has failed to file audits detailing it all

By Ray Hanania

FREE/Illinois Politics, Orland Park/Monday July 15, 2024

Every year, responsible elected public officials file an official audit of their government budgets that outlines their revenues, their spending and their debts.

It's called full government transparency to prevent public officials from lying in their eNewsletter reports about their spending and the debt they may be accumulating.

For the first time in decades. Orland Park has failed to file their annual audits for the past two years.

Audits that outline the revenues, spending and debt for 2022 and 2023 have not been filed by Orland Park, according to Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza spokesperson.

Failure to file the audits is a violation of state law and can result in fines. But as we know, Mayor Keith Pekau is not restrained by any concerns on spending your money.

Look at how easily he spent $13 million in taxpayer money to build a concert venue so he and his cronies can enjoy their own private booth during music concerts -- and take cheap political shots at his critics by including empty chairs at the concerts with their names on them.

Photo of his playing politics at the concert venue by setting up empty chairs with the names of his political rivals. $13 million to poke fun at his political rivals. What a waste!

I can understand why Pekau doesn't want to file the audit? They probably look bad and he doesn't want them out before he puts his name on his re-election ballot in the Spring. Pekau has increased fees, new taxes and is hiding behind the outrageous hikes imposed on homeowners by Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi.

Pekau complained about Keagi's outrageous assessment hikes that range between 25 and 50 percent for many homeowners in Cook County and in Orland Park. But in the end, the higher property assessments mean higher tax hikes on homeowners, which help Pekau cover his excessive spendings and potential village debts.

Why else would Pekau NOT file the annual audit? Every other government entity in Orland Park, Orland Township and the region have filed their audits. But not Pekau's Orland Park.

Abdon Pallasch, Mendoza's spokesperson, confirmed that the audits are delinquent for both years and Orland Park faces fines.

A municipality that is not compliant with the law puts itself at risk of a forced audit and eventually fines," Pallasch said.

Pallasch explained poorer communities often fail to file and the state works with them. Unless there is something Pekau is hiding, Orland Park is not one of those poor, economically strapped communities. That assessment is based on how easily he spends taxpayer money on himself but fails to help homeowners savaged by the June's hailstorm damage.

Pekau's lame response to criticism like this is to assert in his Village political eNewsletter that he is being "unfairly criticized." He claims his critics are political, but in fact his his actions, his incendiary rhetoric in which he attacks people and religions, or his increases in fees and taxes, and political.

Debt, such as bonds and other borrowings, are secured by the promise of tax increases, making Debt a backdoor tax on property owners.

Pekau's lack of transparency means that Orland Park taxpayers are getting fewer and fewer services, more extravagant projects that benefit Pekau's political agenda, and even more fees and taxes.

Who knows what else is hiding in those Village of Orland Park Audits that Pekau has failed to file?

While Pekau is putting Orland Park taxpayers into greater debt and spending, he is taking care of his political cronies, listing their political contributions disclosure forms as "debts" owed to them by the "People Over Politics" (Pekau Politics Over People party). It's also interesting to note that the people getting the big contracts from Orland Park are also his biggest contributors to his political fund.

You can keep up with Pekau's efforts to disguise his failed leadership by visiting the Inform Orland Park Facebook Page.