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A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE OF ORLAND PARK, ILLINOIS, CONDEMNING THE SELECTIVE AND INCONSISTENT ACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS STATE COMPTROLLER AGAINST THE VILLAGE OF ORLAND PARK, CALLING FOR FAIR AND UNIFORM APPLICATION OF COMPLIANCE MEASURES ACROSS ALL MUNICIPALITIES AND UNITS OF GOVERNMENT
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WHEREAS, the Village of Orland Park has long been committed to fulfilling its statutory obligations in financial reporting and has consistently cooperated in a transparent and responsible manner with the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office; and
WHEREAS, despite the Comptroller agreeing to a compliance plan for external audits that the Village has adhered to, the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office recently imposed punitive sanctions on the Village of Orland Park by suspending offset payments due to a delay submission; and
WHEREAS, as reported in the Illinois Local Government Warehouse delinquency report, a total of 361 units of government statewide have similarly outstanding financial reports from 2022 or earlier, including six (6) units that have not submitted required reports for over a decade, yet these entities have not faced similar punitive actions from the Comptroller’s Office, highlighting a deeply concerning lack of consistency in enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the Comptroller’s Office specifically singled out Orland Park in a public social media post, concerning its reporting status, while failing to mention the widespread delays affecting numerous other government units with similarly overdue reports, thereby creating a misleading impression that Orland Park was singularly noncompliant and deserving of punitive measures; and
WHEREAS, government units across Illinois, including Orland Park, face substantial and ongoing challenges in securing qualified auditors to complete external audits in a timely manner, a challenge acknowledged by the State of Illinois itself in meeting its own financial reporting obligations and timelines; and
WHEREAS, the Auditor General’s reports have highlighted repeated “material weaknesses and significant deficiencies” in the State’s internal controls, and further noted that “the lack of timely financial reporting limits effective oversight of State finances,” underscoring the obstacles both the State and local governments encounter in fulfilling rigorous reporting requirements; and
WHEREAS, a total of 587 units of government have outstanding financial reports for 2023;
WHEREAS, reports from the Illinois Auditor General reveal that the State of Illinois has repeatedly failed to file its own Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFR) on time for multiple years; and
WHEREAS, the 2023 annual financial report for the State of Illinois has not been filed for a fiscal year that ended 6 months earlier than the Village of Orland Park’s; and
WHEREAS, the Comptroller’s office has stated that its office will continue to withhold Village funds until the 2023 audit is filed; and
WHEREAS, Sean M. Morrison, Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party, has raised significant concerns that the Comptroller’s actions against the Village of Orland Park appear politically motivated, citing Orland Park’s cooperation in submitting its audit and the unprecedented withholding of offset funds, despite numerous other units of local government with delayed audits not facing similar penalties; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Municipal League (IML) has also expressed its concern over the Comptroller’s selective suspension of offset payments to the Village of Orland Park, emphasizing that these punitive measures unfairly penalize the community and urging the Comptroller’s Office to consider leniency for municipalities making earnest efforts to meet compliance requirements.
NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park, Cook and Will Counties, Illinois, as follows:
SECTION 1
The Village of Orland Park expresses its strongest condemnation of the selective actions taken by the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office, which unfairly penalize Orland Park while ignoring municipalities and governmental units with more prolonged and severe compliance delays, raising concerns of politically motivated actions by the Comptroller’s Office.
SECTION 2
The Village of Orland Park formally calls upon the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office to enforce compliance measures fairly and uniformly, applying them consistently across all municipalities and government units in Illinois, thereby upholding the integrity of state and local government operations.
SECTION 3
The Village of Orland Park demands the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office to rescind the decision to suspend offset payments important to Orland Park’s community services, which serve the public’s needs and well-being.
SECTION 4
The Village of Orland Park strongly advocates for the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office to support, rather than penalize, municipalities facing barriers to compliance, including the prevalent shortage of qualified auditors, and to prioritize constructive assistance for communities making documented efforts to fulfill their obligations.
SECTION 5
The Village of Orland Park calls upon its State Representatives and Senators to take notice of the disproportionate treatment Orland Park has received and to address this issue, advocating for equitable and impartial enforcement of compliance measures statewide and supporting all government units in meeting reporting standards.
SECTION 6
A copy of this Resolution shall be forwarded to the Office of the Illinois State Comptroller, the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Municipal League, Chairman Sean M. Morrison, and the State Representatives and Senators serving Orland Park, as well as other relevant entities, to emphasize the Village’s commitment to transparency, fairness, and responsible fiscal management.
SECTION 7
This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption as provided by law.