From Village Hall to Springfield to Capitol Hill — every body that taxes and governs Orland Park residents. Understand who holds power, who spends your tax dollars, and how to reach every governing authority that shapes life in Orland Park.
Each entry below includes contact information, governance structure, services provided, and a brief history. Use the quick-reference section at the bottom for phone numbers and websites at a glance.
The primary unit of local government providing the full range of municipal services to Orland Park's 58,000 residents
The Village of Orland Park is the primary unit of local government for residents, providing police protection, street maintenance, water and sewer service, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, building inspection, and a wide array of community programs. Governed by a Mayor and six elected Village Trustees, with a professional Village Manager overseeing daily operations, Orland Park operates as a council-manager form of government — a structure designed to separate political leadership from professional administration.
Orland Park was incorporated as a village on May 4, 1892. From a farming community of a few hundred souls, it grew into one of the Chicago region's premier suburban communities, expanding dramatically through annexation during the population booms of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. By the 2020 census, Orland Park ranked among Illinois's 20 largest municipalities.
The Village Board consists of the Mayor (elected at-large, 4-year term) and six Village Trustees (elected at-large, 4-year staggered terms). Three trustees are elected every two years alongside the Mayor in consolidated elections held each April. The Board sets policy, approves the budget, enacts ordinances, and appoints the Village Manager, who in turn hires and oversees all department heads and staff.
| Position | Details | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Jim Dodge — elected April 2025 | 4 years |
| Village Trustee (×6) | Elected at-large; 3 seats up every 2 years | 4 years |
| Village Manager | Professional administrator, appointed by Board | At will |
| Village Clerk | Elected position; official record-keeper | 4 years |
| Village Attorney | Appointed by Board | At will |
The layer of government between the Village and the County — providing general assistance, senior services, road maintenance, and property assessment
Orland Township is one of Illinois's more than 1,400 townships — a layer of government that predates the Village itself. While often overlooked, the Township provides critical services, particularly the General Assistance program (welfare of last resort for residents ineligible for state aid), senior services and transportation, road maintenance through the Township Highway Department, and property assessment through the Township Assessor's office.
The Township Assessor independently assesses the value of every parcel of real property within the township's boundaries — a function that directly determines your property tax bill. Homeowners who believe their assessment is too high can appeal first to the Township Assessor, then to the Cook County Assessor, and ultimately to the Cook County Board of Review.
Illinois is one of the few states that still maintains a robust township government system alongside its municipal governments. Critics argue that townships duplicate services already provided by counties and municipalities; supporters counter that townships provide grassroots, community-level services and local assessment appeal processes. Township abolition has been debated in the Illinois legislature for decades without resolution.
Providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, and fire prevention across Orland Park and surrounding communities
The Orland Fire Protection District is an independent taxing body separate from the Village of Orland Park. Unlike many Chicago suburbs where fire protection is a municipal department, Orland Park's fire and EMS services are governed by a special district with independently elected commissioners. This structure — common in Illinois — means OFPD has its own tax levy, its own budget, and its own chain of command entirely independent of the Village Board and Mayor.
OFPD operates multiple fire stations strategically located throughout its coverage area, staffed 24/7 by career firefighter-paramedics. The District provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) emergency medical services, meaning all frontline apparatus are staffed by state-certified paramedics. In addition to fire suppression and EMS, OFPD runs an active fire prevention bureau that conducts business inspections, school programs, and community education.
Illinois allows — and in many areas predates — the existence of special fire protection districts that serve areas both inside and outside municipal boundaries. OFPD's coverage area extends beyond Orland Park's village limits, covering unincorporated Cook County portions of the region. This means that even if you live in unincorporated Orland Township (not within village limits), you may still pay OFPD taxes and receive OFPD services. Residents can vote in OFPD commissioner elections regardless of whether they live within village limits, as long as they reside within the district's boundaries.
From a borrowed room in the Purple Candle Restaurant to a $20 million state-of-the-art facility — Orland Park's library has served the community for nearly 90 years
The Orland Park Public Library has one of the more charming origin stories in Illinois library history. In 1937, the Orland Park Women's Club established the library in a borrowed room at the Purple Candle Restaurant on 143rd Street — starting with a collection of donated books and a lot of civic determination. A tax referendum in 1943 formalized the library district, giving it a dedicated funding source and independent governance.
For decades the library operated in various rented and owned spaces around the Village. The transformative moment came in 2004 when voters approved a referendum to build a new, purpose-designed library facility at 14921 Ravinia Avenue. The current building — a dramatic, modern structure — opened in 2004 and has become one of the community's most-used public facilities, serving hundreds of thousands of patron visits each year.
The 1937 founding by the Women's Club in the Purple Candle Restaurant is a beloved piece of Orland Park lore. The restaurant's owner allowed the Women's Club to use a room for a small lending library, and that act of community generosity sparked what is now a multi-million-dollar public institution. The library joined the Suburban Library System (now part of Reaching Across Illinois Library System / RAILS), giving patrons access to the shared catalog of hundreds of Illinois libraries.
Sandburg, Stagg, and Andrew (closed 2023) — the high school district serving Orland Park, Palos Hills, Tinley Park and surrounding communities
Community High School District 230 serves the high school needs of students across Orland Park and several neighboring communities. The district was organized to serve the explosive suburban growth of the southwest suburbs in the postwar decades. At its peak the district operated three comprehensive high schools: Carl Sandburg in Orland Park, A.A. Stagg in Palos Hills, and Victor J. Andrew in Tinley Park.
In 2023, faced with years of declining enrollment driven by demographic shifts and falling birth rates in the region, D230 made the difficult decision to close Victor J. Andrew High School. The closure was controversial, with Tinley Park residents strongly opposing the loss of their community's school. Students from Andrew's attendance boundary were redistributed to Sandburg and Stagg. The district's property tax levy remains one of the largest components of an Orland Park homeowner's tax bill.
Carl Sandburg High School, named for the Illinois-born poet and Lincoln biographer, has been the center of Orland Park's academic and athletic life since it opened in the 1970s. "The Sand" — as locals call it — has produced numerous notable alumni in business, sports, politics, and the arts. Its rivalry with Stagg is one of the storied athletic rivalries of the south suburban IHSA circuit.
The largest single line item on most Orland Park property tax bills — the K-8 district that forms the educational foundation of the community
Orland School District 135 is the K-8 public school district serving the bulk of Orland Park's residential neighborhoods. It typically represents the single largest share of an Orland Park homeowner's property tax bill — often around 30 cents of every property tax dollar. The district operates multiple elementary schools and feeds into the two remaining D230 high schools.
D135 has built a strong academic reputation over the decades, consistently ranking well among Illinois K-8 districts on state assessment measures. The district has invested heavily in technology integration, arts programming, and special education services. Like D230, D135 has grappled with gradual enrollment decline as the community's demographics shift toward an older average age, with fewer school-age children per household than during the peak growth decades.
One of Illinois's largest community colleges — providing affordable higher education, workforce training, and transfer pathways to residents across the southwest suburbs
Moraine Valley Community College is one of Illinois's largest community colleges by enrollment and one of the state's most comprehensive. Established in 1967 to serve the booming southwest suburban population, MVCC sits just north of Orland Park in Palos Hills, but draws heavily from Orland Park's student population and property tax base.
For Orland Park residents, Moraine Valley offers a critical first step toward a four-year degree at a fraction of the cost of traditional universities — Moraine Valley's per-credit tuition is among the most affordable in the region, with strong transfer agreements with Illinois state universities and several private colleges. The college also runs one of the region's most respected nursing programs and extensive workforce development training aligned with local employer needs.
The Orland Park Learning Center at 14341 W. 113th Street brings select MVCC programs directly into Orland Park, making it convenient for working adults and students who cannot commute to the Palos Hills campus.
The nation's second-largest county provides courts, public health, forest preserves, county highways, and the Recorder of Deeds — Orland Park is in Cook County's south suburban sector
Cook County is the nation's second-most-populous county and by far the dominant governmental presence for Orland Park above the local level. The county operates the Circuit Court of Cook County (where all local civil, criminal, probate, and family law cases are heard), the Cook County Department of Public Health (which oversees regional health initiatives and inspections), the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the Cook County Forest Preserve District, and numerous other agencies.
Cook County Board Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Republican representing District 17, has been Orland Park's voice on the County Board for years. The County Board is dominated by Chicago-area Democrats, making Morrison one of the few Republican voices in Cook County government — a role he has leveraged to advocate for south suburban communities on tax, infrastructure, and development issues.
The Cook County Forest Preserve District — technically a separate taxing body that operates under the county umbrella — manages the vast Palos Division that borders and partially overlaps Orland Park's western and southern edges. The Palos area is one of the largest urban forest preserves in the United States, offering hiking, mountain biking, fishing, equestrian trails, and environmental education within minutes of Orland Park neighborhoods.
Cook County's Treasurer sends the property tax bills that reflect levies from all local taxing bodies — Village, Township, Fire, Library, D135, D230, Moraine Valley, MWRD, and the County itself. The County Clerk calculates tax rates, the Assessor determines assessed values, and the Board of Review handles assessment appeals. Understanding all three county offices is essential for any homeowner seeking to lower their tax bill.
Treating Cook County's wastewater, preventing regional flooding, and protecting the waterways — an often-overlooked but critically important regional authority
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago — one of the world's largest wastewater treatment agencies — processes sewage and stormwater from all of Cook County, including Orland Park. MWRD's massive Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP), commonly called the "Deep Tunnel," is a $4 billion engineering marvel designed to capture combined sewer overflows and reduce flooding throughout the region.
For Orland Park residents, MWRD shows up on your property tax bill as a relatively small but meaningful levy. More importantly, MWRD's flood control investments directly protect Orland Park neighborhoods from the severe basement flooding and creek overflow that historically plagued the southwest suburban region during heavy rain events.
State roads, state police, state income tax, and the legislative representatives who speak for Orland Park in Springfield
The State of Illinois does not directly levy a property tax but shapes Orland Park life in dozens of ways. Illinois's income tax (currently 4.95% flat rate) is a significant source of funding that flows back to municipalities and schools through the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) and General State Aid (GSA). State funding — or the lack thereof — has profound effects on D135 and D230 school budgets.
IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) owns and maintains the major arterial roads through and around Orland Park: La Grange Road (IL-43), 159th Street, 143rd Street (in part), and the interstates. When those roads need reconstruction, resurfacing, or signal work, it is IDOT — not the Village — that controls the timeline and budget.
Congressional representation, federal funding, USPS, Metra, and the infrastructure programs that shape Orland Park's connection to the larger world
The federal government does not directly govern Orland Park day-to-day, but its presence is felt throughout community life. Federal highway funding maintains portions of the interstate system that frames Orland Park's geography. Federal Transit Administration grants help fund Metra's SouthWest Service line, which stops at Orland Park's two commuter rail stations (153rd Street and 179th Street / Orland Park). The USPS delivers to every address. FEMA flood maps determine insurance requirements for properties near waterways.
For residents who need federal services — Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits, immigration services — the nearest Social Security Administration office, VA facilities, and federal courthouses are generally located in Chicago or Joliet. Both U.S. Senators maintain constituent services offices that can help navigate federal agency issues.
For a typical Orland Park homeowner, each dollar of property tax is divided approximately as follows. Actual percentages vary depending on exact location within the village, assessed value, and annual levy changes by each taxing body.
Note on percentages: These are approximate and illustrative. The actual distribution on your tax bill depends on the equalized assessed value (EAV) of your property, the annual levy set by each taxing body, and the specific tax rates in your tax code area. Cook County sends combined tax bills twice a year — installment 1 (due June 1) and installment 2 (due September 1 most years). You can look up your specific tax bill breakdown at cookcountytreasurer.com using your Property Index Number (PIN).
A fast-reference list of every major governing body serving Orland Park residents — phone numbers, websites, and key information at a glance.
Every taxing body described on this page — from the Village Board to the library trustees to the fire district commissioners to the school boards — holds public elections for its governing board. In many of these elections, turnout is startlingly low and contested races are rare. A handful of dedicated residents can absolutely win a school board seat, a library trustee seat, or a fire district commissioner seat. Consolidated elections are held every April in odd-numbered years. Contact the Cook County Clerk's office for candidacy requirements and petition deadlines.
Under Illinois's Open Meetings Act, virtually every meeting of every governing board listed on this page is open to the public and must be posted in advance. Most boards also accept public comment. Board meeting agendas and minutes are public records available from each body's clerk or website. Attending a Village Board meeting, a school board meeting, or a library board meeting is one of the most direct ways to participate in local democracy.