Orland Fire District audit shows financial strength and responsibility
Orland Fire District, Il — The Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD) released its official annual audit on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 that reflects solid financial management and a “great respect” for the interests of taxpayers.
Audits of government agencies are mandated by State Law in order to protect the interests of the public and taxpayers, and detail not only how collected revenues are managed and spent but also debts that may exist and tax rates and collections.
The OFPD also honored with the “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” by the Government Finance Officers Association for its annual comprehensive financial reporting.
Finance Director Kerry Sullivan said the report shows a slight increase in property taxes.
Sullivan noted the district’s 2024 property tax revenues went up 4.6 percent. However, higher property tax increases are due to the reassessment done by the County Assessor who reduced commercial assessments 10.5 percent and increased homeowner assessments by 14.3 percent.
“The district shows once again that we have a strong financial position and it is trending in the right direction and we use the taxpayer dollars wisely,” Sullivan said.
“We are cognizant of the fact that we are using taxpayer dollars and we want to use them as best as we can to maximize the services that we provide back to them.”
Fire Chief Michael Schofield praised the work of the district’s finance department.
“Once again our financial status is solid, especially in these times where everything has gone up. The costs of doing business have gone up. Everything has gone up and people feel it,” said Fire Chief Michael Schofield.
“We have met that commitment to our residents in having a strong financial position that ensures that we provide the most professional and effective emergency response in the nation.”
The OFPD is credited with having one of the highest cardiac arrest “save rates” in the region, which is more than 71 percent, compared to only 15 percent in the nation.
OFPD Board President John Brudnak called the district’s finances “amazing.”
“It is a testament to people we have working here, especially Kerry Sullivan and her staff,” Brudnak said,
“The financial status of the Orland Fire Protection District is one of the most solid ones in the entire state. Our priority is ensuring that we provide the most professional and most efficient emergency response to safeguard the safety of our residents, homeowners and businesses, and to do so with the most accountable and responsible use of the revenues we receive.”
The Audit is filed with the Cook County Clerk and is available for public inspection and on the District’s website at OrlandFire.org.
— Press release
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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