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Oak Lawn mayor touts low levy, credit upgrades and business license reforms
Summary
At a State of the Village address, Oak Lawn's mayor highlighted that the village levy is lower than in 2011, credited recent Moody's and S&P upgrades to improved finances, and announced a simplified business‑license schedule and lower fees to support local employers.
The mayor of the Village of Oak Lawn delivered the 2025 State of the Village address, saying the village has worked to keep its property tax levy low while rolling out economic measures to help local businesses.
"We have not raised our levy at all over the last 15 years," the mayor said, noting that the village receives less than 9% of the property taxes collected from local owners. He called recent Cook County reassessments — which in some cases increased bills by more than 50% — a county process the village does not control.
The mayor said the village conducted a full review of business licensing and will simplify categories to six or seven license types, lower some fees and roll out the changes in the coming weeks. Colleen Barkmeier, the village's economic development and grants administrator, added the post‑pandemic business license amnesty program saved the business community more than $2.5 million over the last three years and that the village recorded more than 75 new businesses in the past year.
On municipal finance, the mayor highlighted credit‑rating improvements in late 2024. He said both Moody's and S&P upgraded Oak Lawn's rating, citing stronger government, improved financial positions and increased pension contributions; the municipality now described its rating as "BBB+."
State Representative Rick Ryan, introduced at the event, said he recently introduced legislation in Springfield to cap property‑tax increases after reassessments and to tie allowable increases to the consumer price index.
The address mixed economic development updates with fiscal context: the mayor stressed that, while reassessments can sharply raise bills for individual taxpayers, the village's levy remains lower than a decade ago and officials are pursuing both local relief and state policy options.
The mayor closed by thanking civic groups and volunteers for their role in village life and invited further questions; none were taken during the session.
