Mayor Henry L. Kuspa

From the Office of the Mayor

Today is the last day of duty for Oak Forest Police Chief, Tim Kristin. On behalf of the City of Oak Forest, I would like to thank Chief Kristin for his 28 years of service and leadership and wish him well on his retirement.

Also recently retired from the Oak Forest Fire Department was Lieutenant Mike Weinke. Mike dedicated 32 years to the City of Oak Forest and we are grateful for his service. Another recent retirement was Jim Bosvay, who spent 19 years with the Building Department. Thank you, Jim, for your dedication and service to the City of Oak Forest.

The date for submitting your response for the 2020 Census has been extended a few more days to October 5th. If you haven't submitted your response, please use this link to complete the 2020 Census: https://my2020census.gov/.

Please contact my office at 708-687-4050, x1005, should you have any questions about the census or concerns relating to our community.

COVID-19 Updates

Restore Illinois Mitigation Plan Updates

New mitigations are applied if a region's positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% for three consecutive days.

Mitigations are applied on a regional basis based on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Regions that have traditionally guided the IDPH in its statewide public health work. There are currently two regions affected:

Region 1 - Boone, Carroll, Dekalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.

Region 4 - Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties.

The City of Oak Forest is in Suburban Cook - Region 10.

Read more about the mitigation plan at: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.

Oak Forest COVID-19 Statistics

Here are the current numbers for the city of Oak Forest from the Illinois Department of Public Health website (www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics) as of Friday, October 2, 2020:

572 positive cases
7,414 people tested
5.2% Positivity Rate (Southern Cook Area, Region 10)
10 Covid-19 related deaths in Oak Forest since March 27, 2020 with the most recent one on September 11, 2020.

Webinars Scheduled for Appealing Property Taxes

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak will host webinars in October for Bremen Township taxpayers seeking to appeal their 2020 property tax assessments.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional outreach seminars will be held online at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 15. Register online to participate, https://event.webinarjam.com/register/54/xqr50blx.

The webinars are co-sponsored by Oak Forest Mayor Hank Kuspa, Oak Forest Tax Advocate Guy Gattone, Bremen Township Assessor Willie Jones, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, Midlothian Mayor Gary L’Heureux, and Tinley Park Mayor Jacob Vandenberg. The hour-long session will show taxpayers how to file a successful tax appeal and provide information on property tax exemptions.

The webinars will include a presentation by Commissioner Dan Patlak, who will explain the tax appeal procedure at the Board of Review. Analysts will be available online via chat to answer specific questions and concerns. This event is free to the public, and there is no fee to appeal at the Board of Review.

Taxpayers are encouraged to file an appeal online by visiting the Board of Review website. Alternatively, paper appeal forms are available at the Board of Review at 118 N. Clark St., Room 601, Chicago.

Fire Prevention Week
October 4-10, 2020

At the last City Council Meeting, Mayor Kuspa made the declaration that October 4-10, 2020, is Fire Prevention Week in Oak Forest.

Did you know that cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries? Read more about fire safety in your home next week on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Project Fire Buddies

The seed for Project Fire Buddies was planted in 2016 when firefighters and paramedics from Oak Forest Fire Department helped one child who was struggling with complications from cancer.

It found roots in the department and flowered in the hearts of first responders, community members, and the families of the children they served. In the very near future, Project Fire Buddies hope to grow stronger and plant new seeds in various fire and police departments across Illinois. With the dedication and support of the firefighters and police officers in these departments, they will be able to brighten the lives of more children than they ever thought possible.

Please listen to a recent Interview with Oak Forest Firefighter/Paramedic Kurt DeGroot on The Fire Inside Podcast at: https://thefireinsidepodcast.com/77-2/ about how Project Fire Buddies came about.

Full-Time Firefighter Eligibility List

The Oak Forest Fire Department provides 24-hour fire protection, paramedic service, and emergency response to the residents and businesses of Oak Forest. The department was founded in 1945 and has provided excellent public service throughout its existence.

The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for the City of Oak Forest is now accepting applications for the Full-Time position of Firefighter. Testing is being conducted to establish an Eligibility List for future available positions. Applications will be available online until October 7, 2020 at 2:00 PM. The application deadline is October 7, 2020 at 4:00 PM.

For job requirements, salary and other pertinent information, please go to this website: https://jobsource.copsandfiretesting.com/jobs/oak-forest-il-entry-level-firefighter.

Early Voting at Oak Forest City Hall

The City of Oak Forest will once again offer residents the opportunity to cast their votes early for the upcoming November 3, 2020, election. Please remember to wear a mask or facial covering and practice social distancing.

October 19 - October 23
8:30 am - 7:00 pm
October 24 - October 25
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
October 26 - October 30
8:30 am - 7:00 pm
October 31 - November 1
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
November 2
8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Oak Forest City Hall is located at 15440 S. Central Ave.

Halloween Trick or Treat Hours

Halloween is Saturday, October 31, 2020. Trick or Treat hours in the City of Oak Forest are 3 pm - 7 pm. Please keep groups to a minimum and practice social distancing.

Wearing a mask or face covering is required per rules set forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Please respect the wishes and privacy of residents not participating in Halloween Trick or Treating.

If you choose not to partake in passing out candy on Halloween, please pick up a sign at City Hall for your door or window.

Weekly e-Briefs

This free, voluntary e-mail service provides information about city services, activities and events. On a weekly basis, you can find a message from the Mayor about current events involving the Oak Forest area.

If you know someone who would like to receive the weekly e-Briefs, please have them visit our website to sign up: https://www.oak-forest.org/list.aspx. An e-mail will be sent to confirm a "subscription" to e-Briefs.

They can also send an e-mail to CityofOakForest@oak-forest.org to request e-Briefs. Please remember to allow mail from listserv@civicplus.com.

Business Interruption Grants (BIG)

Applications for a second round of funding through the Business Interruption Grants Program are currently available. A total of $220 million will be made available for small businesses of all types in Illinois. Two businesses in Oak Forest were recipients during the first round of funding

More details on the latest round of funding and how to apply can be found at: https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/SmallBizAssistance/Pages/C19DisadvantagedBusGrants.aspx.

ComEd Offers Help with Energy Bills

If you are struggling with the financial challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, ComEd has a variety of options available to assist with past-due balances, but many are only available for a limited time.

Customers who are challenged in paying their outstanding balances and energy bills should contact ComEd's customer care team as soon as possible at 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to take advantage of assistance options. Information on each of these options is available at ComEd.com/Support.

ComEd also offers usage alerts and energy-management tips to help customers manage energy use to save money now and on future energy bills. For more information, visit ComEd.com/OnlineTools.

ComEd Offers Tips to Avoid COVID-19 Related Energy Scams

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, scammers are increasing their efforts to take advantage of vulnerable customers who may be struggling to pay their bills.

Imposters posing as ComEd employees are approaching individuals and businesses to attempt to steal their money, as well as personal and business information.

One tactic scammers use with more frequency is “spoofing” ComEd’s name and phone number. Spoofing uses technology to change the caller’s identification information so that ComEd’s name and phone number appear in the customer’s caller ID display. Another tactic involves sending emails with slight modifications to the ComEd name to make it appear it is coming from the energy company. Scammers may even demand that an individual make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card or instruct a business to deposit a payment in an alternate account.

For more tips, review the information on www.oak-forest.org.

Scammers rapidly change their tactics so if you are suspicious of any energy-related request or actions, stop what you are doing and call ComEd immediately at 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661). Businesses can call 1-877-426-6331. For more tips on identifying energy-related scams, visit ComEd.com/ScamAlert.

2020 Road Program Update!

Concrete has been completed on the first group of streets and our contractor has already started on the second group of streets.

Remember, the contractor will notify all the residents a day before any work will be done to your apron or curb by placing a notice on your door.

This year’s program will include the following eleven street segments to be resurfaced:

1. Willow Lane – Forestview to 151st
2. Condado – 151st to Hillside
3. El Morro Court – El Morro to end
4. Menard – Vine to 147th
5. 149th Street – Laramie to Cicero
6. Essex – Tudor to Reynolds
7. Dolores – Rob Roy to Orogrande
8. Peggy Lane – 159th to Independence
9. Mann – Craig to Blair
10. Newport – Laramie to Bellaire
11. Oakwood Court – Newport to Cul-de-Sac

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held on October 13, 2020, at 7:30 PM. To watch the previous meeting from September 22, 2020, please click on the image below.

e-Briefs is a free, voluntary e-mail service, which provides information about government services, activities and events.
On a weekly basis, you can expect to find City Council news and agendas, construction updates, public safety reminders, senior and youth news, and much more! Please forward this e-mail to friends and family and encourage them to sign up
for the weekly e-Briefs by visiting the Notify Me section of our website. Contact the City of Oak Forest at 708-687-4050 or cityofoakforest@oak-forest.org.