Frustration sets in
In mid-June, frustrated at the pace of the governor’s timetable for reopening the state’s economy, Orland Park officials sued him in federal court, although in early October withdrew the complaint.
The lawsuit alleged that state-imposed restrictions ordered by Pritzker beginning in March violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
In an Aug. 1 ruling, a federal judge denied a motion by the village seeking a temporary restraining order as well as a preliminary injunction to overturn a series of executive orders issued by the governor. The judge suggested the village and other plaintiffs would have “a negligible likelihood of success” in pressing their claims, which contributed to village officials dropping the case.
But as coronavirus fatigue set in later in the year, owners of some southwest suburban restaurants and bars, desperate to stay afloat, defied orders to not seat customers indoors.
Patrons of businesses, such as Gina’s Teardrop Café in New Lenox, said it was a straightforward choice.
“We’ve got to support our local businesses,” said Don Smith of New Lenox. “They’re either going to open for business, or they’re going to close permanently.”
Initially, before Tier 3 mitigation measures were expanded statewide Nov. 20, some business owners raised the question of fairness in how it was determined who could let customers inside and who couldn’t.
Will County businesses said they were at a disadvantage by being in a region under Tier 3 while in some instances competitors, perhaps just blocks away, were able to continue to welcome customers indoors.
As relatively mild fall weather turned colder, and restrictions on indoor dining and bar service stuck around, some restaurants and bars found creative ways to stay open. Some invested in tents and propane heaters in a bid to keep outdoor customers reasonably comfortable. Communities such as Lemont and Tinley Park offered grants to businesses to help them pay for outdoor accommodations.
Business shutdowns due to the pandemic began taking their toll on municipal finances, and the effects were expected to linger into 2021. Communities began furloughing workers and found other way to cut costs.
In the spring, Oak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury said her village was looking at drop of revenue in the range of $8 million to $10 million and had trimmed some positions to curb expenses.
“It’s gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and extremely difficult,” she said at the time.
Orland Park, which relies on sales tax revenue as its biggest income source, said in approving its 2021 budget recently that sales tax revenue in the coming year could be down 7% from this year.
By late December, the arrival of a vaccine at hospitals and long-term care facilities gave hope that, globally and regionally, the tide may have turned.
Workers at hospitals in the south and southwest suburbs began getting their initial shots just before Christmas, with follow-up doses scheduled in January.
It will be perhaps several months before vaccines are more widely available to the general public, with public health agencies in Cook and Will counties studying how to best distribute them. Will County recently launched an online registry where residents can log their information in a bid to get in line for the shots.