Two months after the Orland Township board voted 3-2 to end its lease with the Illinois secretary of state’s office, a new drivers facility has opened in Orland Park.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and local leaders Monday celebrated the motor vehicle office at 18230 Orland Parkway, which will offer expanded hours and additional services.
The Orland Township motor vehicle office ceased operations Friday afternoon, allowing for a seamless transition to the new space within Communities Transform Futures, or CTF Illinois, a nonprofit organization that offers day programs to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Giannoulias’s office was left scrambling for a location in July when township officials unexpectedly voted to terminate the 5-year lease previously signed in February. Orland Township gave the secretary of state’s office 90 days notice, and the office was expected to vacate by the end of October.
Giannoulias said what transpired since that vote was cooperation among local and state leaders to find a new temporary location. The secretary of state’s office is looking for a permanent location before the one-year, zero-cost lease at CTF expires, Giannoulias said.
At least six communities reached out to him, offering to look for space within their towns so that Southland residents would have a place to go for driver’s licenses renewals and vehicle services. State Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, and Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge were among the first to reach out to help find a new location and keep a facility close by, Giannoulias said.
“After the abrupt and quite honestly totally unexpected vote to terminate the lease, Sen. Hastings ultimately connected us with CTF and the pieces quickly came together to help sign a lease,” Giannoulias said. “We didn’t miss a beat in transition to this facility and were able to expand the hours of operations and services we offer.”
Since January, the Orland Township motor vehicle office processed 56,000 transactions, so it was important to find a location that would serve residents of Orland Park and its neighboring suburbs. The secretary of state also has offices at the Bridgeview courthouse and in Midlothian and Joliet.
“The best part for local residents is that they’ll have the convenience of a nearby facility, while the best part for taxpayers is that it comes at zero cost,” Giannoulias said. “Competent and reliable governance aren’t the sexiest of things, but in a world of increasing uncertainty, the delivery of basic services faster and more convenient than ever is something that builds trust and better serves the communities’ needs.”
Dodge said it was important to keep the motor vehicle office in Orland Park. It helps village residents and boosts the local economy because people outside the village who use the office patronize businesses and restaurants.
“Government delivers services to our customers,” Dodge said. “We are here to serve.”
In July, township officials in favor of closing the motor vehicle office cited concerns over safety, long lines that extended out the door and said the office was serving people who don’t live in Orland Township.
At the time, Giannoulias said the trustees did a “huge disservice” to Southland residents to close one of the state’s busiest offices and they “failed their constituents and the taxpayers they are elected to serve.”
Dodge said he felt the township trustees could have discussed their concerns with the secretary of state’s office.
“They could have worked out the issues,” he said. “They could have given everybody else a heads up. They could have been part of the solution. Instead I think they acted abruptly, and I don’t like the way they did this.”
Dodge said he will advocate for a permanent facility in Orland Park.
Tony Barrett, president and CEO of CTF Illinois, said the building, which opened in 2003, had an unused wing they were happy to offer to the secretary of state’s office.
The motor vehicle office has a separate entrance from the day programs offered at CTF, and it is not expected to disrupt its services or affect safety to its patrons, Barrett said. Signs will direct customers to the motor vehicle office, and there is plenty of of parking.
“We depend on the state. We depend on our local communities. We depend on businesses and we depend on people to support us every single day,” he said.
Barrett said this was a chance for the nonprofit organization to give back.
Hastings praised the CTF board and leadership.
“When I came here in July and I asked them if they would graciously open their doors to house a temporary facility for the secretary of state, they didn’t hesitate,” Hastings said. “They said yes because that’s who they are. They’re leaders who lift people up, a truly remarkable organization.”
The new Orland Park office will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and offer driver’s license renewals and REAL IDs and vehicle services such as registration and renewal stickers. It will include two additional service stations and offer behind-the-wheel driving exams for the first time. The new office is about 5 miles from the former township location and near Interstate 80.
“At the end of the day, this is about more than renewing a driver’s license or getting a REAL ID card,” Hastings said. “It’s about our community. It’s about what happens when we choose collaboration over conflict … inclusion over division. It’s also about choosing progress over politics.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.