Oak Forest City Hall Closed November 26-27, 2020

City Hall will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will reopen on Monday, November 30, at 9:00 a.m. Please use the night depository located on the outside wall of City Hall to pay water bills, vehicle stickers, etc.

COVID-19 Updates

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) enacted additional COVID-19 resurgence mitigation measures in every region across the state on November 20, in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. These mitigations aim to limit gatherings and encourages residents to stay home as much as possible. It also urges residents to follow proper safety measures when out in public.

The IDPH reports that the statewide positivity rate is at a record high and that hospitalizations are already surpassing the spring peak, prompting more stringent, statewide mitigations to combat the surge and preserve hospital capacity.

Read the complete list of Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigations here:
https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-mitigation-plan

COVID-19 Testing at SSC

South Suburban College (SSC) continues to offer FREE COVID-19 testing on its Main Campus located at 15800 S. State Street, in South Holland, IL, until December 31, 2020.

Daily testing is available from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and a security detail is in place while testing is open.

COVID-19 symptoms may include fever, sore throat, loss of taste, cough or shortness of breath. Visit CDC.gov for more information regarding symptoms.

Oak Forest COVID-19 Statistics

Here are the current numbers for Oak Forest from the Illinois Department of Public Health website (www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics) as of Wednesday, November 25, 2020:

1,411 positive cases
12,774 people tested
14.4% Positivity Rate (Suburban Cook County, Region 10)

Code Enforcement Officer/Apartment Inspector Opening

The City of Oak Forest is seeking a part-time Code Enforcement Officer / Apartment Inspector who takes a proactive approach to enforcing property maintenance codes. The successful candidate must be able to work independently and communicate effectively while maintaining a professional working relationship with employees, supervisors, and the public.

Schedule is Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

For complete details about this employment opportunity, please use this link: https://www.oak-forest.org/jobs.aspx.

Garbage Pickup

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, garbage pickup will be one day later. If your pickup is usually on Thursday, it will be picked up on Friday. If your pickup is usually on Friday, it will be picked up on Saturday.

Additionally, Monday, November 30, is the last day of branch and yard waste pickup. From December 1 through March 31, residents can use their blue yard waste bins as an additional garbage can.

For more information about garbage collection and recycle in Oak Forest, please visit
Garbage & Recycling.

Toys for Tots Program at City Hall

For the 10th year, the Oak Forest Police Department is a Toys for Tots collection site. Deputy Chief Scott Durano, a 20-year veteran of the Oak Forest Police Department and a United States Marine, recruited the help of his fellow officers in 2010 to start a toy collection program to benefit the United States Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots program.

The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Bring your unwrapped toys to City Hall at 15440 S. Central Avenue anytime from now until December 10, 2020.

City of Oak Forest Trim-A-Tree Contest

Be sure and stop by City Hall to see the trees decorated by local families, businesses, Boy and Girl Scout Troops and organizations. They all signed up for the annual City of Oak Forest Trim-A-Tree Contest.

Tell us your favorites and who you think deserves the top prize. Email us at CityofOakForest@oak-forest.org before December 6, 2020 to cast your vote.

Due to COVID-19, we will not be having the Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony. Trim-A-Tree winners will be notified and announced during the City Council Meeting on December 8th.

Snow Removal Reminders

Winter is just around the corner. Please remember that the city prohibits residents from parking vehicles on city streets after 2 inches of snow has fallen to allow Public Works Department crew members to clear and salt the streets effectively and efficiently.

Vehicles must remain off streets for 12 hours after the end of snowfall or risk being fined and/or towed.

Do not shovel or blow snow from driveways into the streets as this can cause a hazard and is also against city ordinance. When snow is shoveled into the street, the plow is likely to push it right back in front of the driveway. Although the city's plows may leave some snow across driveway entrances, they try to keep it to a minimum. The Public Works Department will not remove snow from driveway entrances.

For more information, please read the Snow and Ice Control article on the city website.

Everbridge System Notifies Oak Forest Community

In the past, the City of Oak Forest has reached out to citizens via Reverse 911 calls. This has changed to a new system called Everbridge.

By going to the Everbridge website, you can sign-up and create an account using this link: https://member.everbridge.net/397890065268844/login . You are encouraged to enter a cell phone number for voice and text, landline phone number if you choose for voice, email address for notifications, as well as home address. Entering your home address helps the City of Oak Forest send messages to only certain areas of the town that a particular emergency is taking place, such as a water main break, for example.

Creating an account will also give you access to make future modifications to your account when needed, such as change of phone number, email, and home address.
Additionally, if you ever move and do not want any notifications from the City of Oak Forest, you have the ability to delete account.

Everbridge is a valuable tool for the city and for citizens who want to be informed.

Please sign up today!

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The next Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held December 8, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. Residents are invited to attend the meeting (must wear a mask and practice social distancing) or you can watch the meeting live on www.oak-forest.org/live. To watch the most recent meeting from November 24, 2020, please click on the image below.

Stay Informed!

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