Firefighter Layoffs Are No Oak Lawn Surprise
At least no one can say that the Oak Lawn Village Board meetings are boring.
As expected, the Oak Lawn Village Board voted 4-2 for a new budget that results in three firefighters being laid off. The move was not a surprise since the village board had previously said this could take place. A budget deficit has pressed the board to make such a decision.
Obviously, this did not sit well with Oak Lawn Fire Department personnel, who staged a vast publicity drive during the past week with members passing out flyers to residents and showing up in force at the April 22 meeting.
The packed village board meeting lasted nearly four hours. The debate centers around sick leave taken by some members of the fire department. The majority of village board members feel that sick leave has been abused by fire department personnel.
Also in question is the amount of fire department personnel in relation to the population of the village. Village board members said that Oak Lawn is more than well represented, and actually has more fire department staff than municipalities such as Oak Park.
The irony of this situation is that the Oak Lawn Fire Department union supported the campaign of Dave Heilmann for mayor in 2005.
While this vote will leave long-lasting wounds, the budget situation in Oak Lawn had to addressed. The board has hinted that more cuts may be forthcoming. It is not certain if those cuts will come at the expense of the Oak Lawn Fire Department.
Tough times call for tough measures. The Oak Lawn Village Board will have to make more tough decisions in the future if the economy continues to drag. The budget deficit has been listed at $1.7 million.
The two trustees who voted against the cuts were Jerry Hurckes (1st) and Steve Rosenbaum (4th). Both officials said their constituents were against fire department layoffs. Hurckes has often been at odds with the present administration over a variety of matters. In Oak Lawn, there is always a slice of politics.
It is our opinion that it is unfortunate that three firefighters will be laid off. But the present economy and the deficit exists. It is our hope that if more layoffs have to be made, the Oak Lawn Board will look in other areas.