The “Our View” editorial from last week, “Raise taxes, cut costs,” stated that “Forest Park is broke.”
Forest Park is not alone. Governments at all levels are broke as evidenced by our $39 trillion national debt, our state’s over $100 billion unfunded pension liability, and our own “severely underfunded” police and fire pensions. Raising taxes will help and is required, but raising taxes will not be enough and will negatively impact residents and businesses. Foremost, Forest Park residents must demand responsible spending from our elected officials. In Forest Park, that means things like no plowing of sidewalks on weekends, no $1 annual leases to anyone for the use of village property, and regional cooperation for services.
But instead of starting with a regional fire district as proposed by the Review editorial last week, let’s start with a regional community services district. The River Forest Community Center on Madison Street could readily serve both River Forest and Forest Park with a substantial savings to both communities.
Forest Park is broke — let’s start acting like it. There is no better place to start than a regional community services district and dedicating the estimated $1 million annual reimbursement from the transportation bill to our police and fire pension funds. Our police and fire departments are the ones earning this reimbursement. We owe it to them to meet our pension obligations to them. Let’s not wait until 2040 when the state will seize payments to the village if our pensions are not 90% funded.
The time has long since passed for citizens to demand responsible spending at all levels of government.
Marty Tellalian
Former Forest Park commissioner