Municipal Government Overview
With only 54,000 residents living together within four and a half square miles, many would say Oak Park is a small town. But the services delivered by municipal workers are anything but small.
Oak Park has more than 100 miles of Village-owned streets, nearly 20,000 parkway trees, 7,000 lighting fixtures, 105 miles of water mains, 110 miles of sewers and some 4,000 public parking spaces.
Open government and transparency is the cornerstone of the structure of the municipal government of Oak Park, a community whose residents expect more of themselves, their neighbors and their local government.
The Municipal Workforce
Together, the 350-plus workers on the Village’s municipal team bring a vast range of formal education, experience and expertise to their jobs.
From a highly trained and motivated police force focused on neighborhoods to firefighter-paramedics who routinely eclipse national emergency response times, Oak Park’s public safety programs rival those of much larger communities.
The Village’s public works programs are the core of municipal services. Workers pump the water, maintain the streets, plow the snow, keep the traffic signals operating, trim the trees and keep a fleet of nearly 250 municipal vehicles running.
Oak Park’s Health Department – one of only a handful of certified municipal health departments in the state – keeps the community’s restaurants clean, pets licensed, children vaccinated, childcare facilities safe and the community prepared for emergencies.
Other municipal services nurture business investment, foster diversity, plan for future development, manage thousands of parking spaces and protect the housing stock, one of Oak Park’s most valuable assets.
Form of Government
Municipal services in Oak Park are managed under the council-manager form of government.
The concept is simple – an elected, part-time president and board of trustees set policy, but professional staff under the direction of a professional manager administers and deliver services day to day.
Though employees are assigned to different departments, and the jobs performed vary, all share a common goal… to serve the needs and address the concerns of the residents of Oak Park.
The Community
The Village of Oak Park is, in many ways, a unique community.
Oak Park has fostered many individuals whose influences have reached far beyond the borders of the Village.
Renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Ernest Hemingway, Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, chemist Percy Julian and the mother of modern dance, Doris Humphrey, all called Oak Park Home.
Even Homer Simpson was born and raised here – or more accurately, the source of his voice, Dan Castellaneta.
Many other names, perhaps not so familiar, sowed the seeds of independent thinking and civic action that created the substance, reputation and legacy the Village enjoys today.
Oak Parkers have championed fair housing, integration and equal treatment of all regardless of their differences. They have embraced historic preservation and environmental sustainability, including recycling, green energy and water conservation.
Joining the Municipal Team
Oak Park is, indeed, a special community. Working for the people of Oak Park makes the municipal workforce special, too.
Learn more about working for the Village of Oak Park on our Village Jobs page.