Tinley Park officials are arming themselves for a legal war with neighboring Orland Hills over the annexation of 11.5 acres of property.
The Tinley Park Village Board voted Tuesday to consider at its Dec. 7 meeting annexing land at the southeast corner of 171st Street and 96th Avenue, which Orland Hills voted to annex two weeks ago.
“The action by Orland Hills is illegal,” said James Ferolo, who served as Tinley Park’s attorney at the meeting Tuesday.
It has been Tinley’s contention that Orland Hills’ land grab is not allowed by state law because the property is not contiguous to that village.
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Because Tinley intends to vote to annex the acreage, the issue is almost certainly headed to court.
“This will give us legal standing,” Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said.
The day before its annexation vote, Orland Hills filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against Tinley and Citizens Utilities, its Lake Michigan water provider, to force the company to continue serving its residents despite the land war.
Tinley Park officials have said their 1982 agreement with Citizens prohibits the company from supplying lake water to Orland Hills because the land in question lies in Tinley’s planning area.
Tinley provides Citizens with lake water, which the company then sells to Orland Hills.
Orland Hills has countered that its franchise agreement with the utility predates any such arrangement.