The Orland Park Village Board has hired two lobbying firms with ties to the village to help secure state funding to complete some much-needed road construction projects.
Trustees voted 5-2 Monday night to hire the firms of Michael Best Strategies and Matthew O’Shea Consulting at a cost of $5,000 per month each to help bring Springfield money back to Orland Park.
“We need an advocate for Orland Park and now we have horses in the game who are experienced in lobbying,” said Village Manager George Koczwara. “The village has a number of state roads that need help in terms of reconstruction.”
He specifically mentioned 143rd Street and Wolf Road (Phases 1 and 2), areas that constantly flood after heavy rains. Koczwara said 143rd Street is projected to cost tens of millions of dollars to rebuild and repair, including the addition of landbridges to correct low-lying areas that take on excessive water.
Koczwara said when the state released its $50 billion capital improvement plan a couple of years ago, “the village of Orland Park received zero funding from the state. Zero. That simply can’t happen.”
Mayor Jim Dodge put it succinctly: “We need someone with a vested interest in Orland Park walking the halls of Springfield and advocating and lobbying on our behalf.
“There is only a limited amount of money in the state’s budget,” Dodge said. “But we need to make sure we are on that list to receive some of that money.”
He said the 143rd Street and Southwest Highway project comes with a $20 million price tag “that is $10 million short.”
“We need money to make these repairs and to continue moving this village forward. We owe it to our residents and our businesses.”
He also pointed out that the owners of both firms lived in Orland Park.
Trustee Michael Milani questioned hiring lobbyists before the village had identified priorities, but ultimately voted to hire both firms.
Trustees Cindy Katsenes and Bill Healy sought to table the measure, but that move failed. They both voted “no” on the hiring.